Kayden sat on top of a rock outcrop, looking far into the distance, he was clad in a thick supple fur coat dyed black, hand gloves to keep the frost off his fingers, metal laced boots that swung freely in the air where he sat.
His entire outfit contrasted the snowy white mountains, still lost in thought about why he had bothered coming all the way here when he could have drank some hot wine while cultivating, his growth had been stumped for months and it kept nagging him that his fellow clan mates had left his level, gaining more strength.
But here he was, in the mountains, looking for sapphire gems, these gems were higher in purity and soul essence than a regular soul stone and he knew why he had been sent out to get them because his level was too low to cultivate it.
"Damnation" he cursed at himself, he didn't hear the light footsteps slowly approaching him.
"Cursing again, are you? You're sad enough as it is, keep this up and you'll end up like my Uncle Han" Thane said as he emerged from the forest.
"You have an Uncle Han?" Kayden asked curiously
"I had, he's dead now" Thane replied with a sheepish smile.
"Aaaahhh" Kayden grunted, he turned his attention to Thane.
In his hands he held a few glowing crystals with a light blue hue, it was amazing that he could hold the sapphire gems bare handed considering how cold they were by nature.
"How many did you get?" Kayden asked, Thane grinned at him showing him the four gems that lay in his hands, still unaffected by the cold, shivers ran down Kayden's spine at the thought of enduring the maddening cold if he had come alone
Once more he was grateful for having a friend like Thane, he was one of the few people that hadn't abandoned him after Kayden had found out about his unknown curse and extremely low cultivate base.
"Don't you feel the numbing cold?" Kayden asked, genuinely out of curiosity
"I mean, not exactly, I'm at the First Martial stage so I have some resistance to some natural elements " Thane replied
"Must be nice" Kayden scoffed as he jumped off the rock outcrop and approached Thane, Kayden stood a foot taller than him but it didn't matter much to him.
Thane on the other hand had an athletic build with grey hair and grey eyes to match, he wore silky white loose fitted clothes, being unaffected by the cold.
"Did you absorb any?" Kayden asked Thane as he walked back in the direction of the clan, Thane walked behind him making no sound, while the loud crunch of Kayden's boots could be heard in the far distance
"I really wanted to, but the risk is too much" He replied
"Whatever you say genius," Kayden said with a wave of his hand, he kept his eyes forward while he walked, imagining the comfort of his room, the warm floor, the blankets, and especially the hot wine.
The thought of that assured him, giving him enough strength to keep pushing, Thane caught up to him trying to start a conversation, Kayden absolutely didn't want to talk but Thane absolutely wanted to talk.
The idea of being completely alone didn't sound so bad at that moment, he thought...
"What are you going to do about your cultivation? You haven't made much progress in months and before your last breakthrough it took you years, how long will it take you this time?" Thane asked incessantly
Kayden stopped almost immediately, "You think I don't know that Thane? I've been cracking my head for years about why my cultivation hasn't improved in the slightest"
"Damn it, Thane, I'm barely stronger than a mere human, I can't keep living my life like this" Kayden gritted his teeth, his fists folded into a ball.
"So what now? Suicide?" Thane asked, he said so with a serious expression, Kayden looked at him perplexed then at the heavens, wondering why he had the worst luck with people
"Are you mad?"
"Really? Of all the advice you could give me" Kayden asked looking aghast.
"I mean, there's not much of a solution for you, even the physicians have given up on you, especially the grand physician," he said the last part louder than needed.
"I should give up? Go back to being a human? Disgrace my lineage and family? Dishonor my parents?" Kayden said, anger seeping into his voice
"Hey calm down tiger, I'm not big on honor and all that stuff but I'm just saying man, you could do something else?" He stuttered
Kayden looked at Thane with suspicion, "Do what?" He asked curiously, he knew it would be a useless response but he looked forward to it all the same
"A scholar?" He said with an awkward grin on his face
Kayden looked at Thane for a good ten seconds thinking of how best he could kill a man without taking the blame for it.
"You want me? Heir to the Arcanus family to become a scholar?" Kayden asked saying the words slow enough to be understood by anyone with half a wit.
"In my defense, the Arcanus family is known to be proficient in ancient spells and lores of magic tomes, it doesn't seem like a bad idea being a scholar, not to mention how intelligent you are I'm sure you'd be able to figure it out," Thane said
Kayden grew quiet, he knew what Thane meant, if he couldn't raise his cultivation level anymore he would be discarded as a disciple, or sent away, but he had nowhere to return so his last resort would be him being a scholar.
He said nothing and kept walking in silence, thinking of several ways to solve his stagnation, he had made his elixirs, drew magic circles, made enchantments, and given his body up to be studied in hopes that he would succeed in finding the problem with him.
But nothing, absolutely nothing was wrong with him, if anything he was told he had an exceedingly healthy body, a warrior body, yet here he was slowly being pushed into a path he never chose for himself.
"You're keeping that face again, what's on your mind Kayden?" Thane asked, bringing Kayden out of his thoughts, he breathed out in defeat, watching his breath fog with every breathe he took
"I just wanted to honor my parents, my family, I want to be strong enough to protect those I care about, to preserve the honor of my family, is that too much to ask?" Kayden said but was met by silence, Thane said nothing, and he watched Kayden in silence.
"I just want strength, like every other warrior, like every other family, like every man who had something to protect, in this realm those without strength are sheep, fodder for the strong to take from and use, I've been that all my life, I can't be that any longer," Kayden said with renewed determination.
"So what are you going to do?" Thane asked with a smile, he knew Kayden better than anyone and knew he wouldn't give in so easily
"No matter how long it takes, how far I have to search, I will find strength, my own strength, I will be strong Thane!" His voice sounded sure
"Strong enough to make the realms tremble, to scorn those to disrespected my family, whatever it takes, this is my oath," Kayden said looking at the heavens, a slight rumble was heard as though the heavens bore witness to his oath.
"Indeed you will," Thane said patting his back as he walked past him heading towards the clan.