After leaving the abandoned village, Jin and his team found refuge in the nearest forest, using it as a resting spot to gather their thoughts and recharge their ki.
Jin had entered a deep state of meditation, focused so intently that he became oblivious to his surroundings. For over a week, he remained motionless, wholly dedicated to restoring his strength. His teammates hunted and ate to maintain their own energy, even trying to offer him food, but he seemed not to hear them. Instead, they stood guard, defending him from wandering wolves, rabbits, and other creatures, ensuring his meditation remained undisturbed.
After over a week of meditation to regain his strength from the last fight, Jin finally opened his eyes. "Damn, I'm hungry…" were his first words. He looked over, saw some cooked meat, and ate until he felt full. Not seeing anyone around, he figured his teammates must've left it for him before heading off.
He sighed, closed his eyes, and began meditating again, immediately sinking into a deep state.
"Guys! He ate some!" Riven shouted to Kade and Kael, who both rushed over and saw Jin meditating once more.
"You have to hand it to him, though—he's dedicated," Kael said.
Kade nodded with a sigh, "Maybe we should learn a thing or two?"
The group decided to keep hunting, feeling it was safe enough.
Suddenly, Jin opened his eyes, looking around to find himself in a forest, though it felt different.
"About damn time you're back."
Jin looked up and saw Belford.
"H-how? I didn't use inner conviction…"
Belford fixed him with a stare. "Doesn't matter how. I'll be straightforward this time, no wasted words. You need to become stronger, Jin. Those guards you fought at the village? They were nothing compared to who you'll face eventually. As you are now? You'd never leave a scratch. I'll start teaching you Sevenfold Blaze in the next two days."
Before Jin could respond, Belford began instructing him—how to feel the ki, how to channel it properly.
"The key to this technique isn't the ki amount but how much you infuse Forbidden Azure into the tanto. Train for precision, not just power. This, you must learn."
Hours passed, and Jin improved at channeling and maintaining his ki within the blade.
"Now, begin the technique!" Belford said, watching every detail—Jin's breathing, ki flow, and body movements. After a day and a half of constant failures, he finally succeeded.
"Forbidden Azure: Sevenfold Blaze!" Jin appeared to teleport across the field, leaving seven slashes on a tree that exploded moments later.
Belford smiled. "You did it, kid. That's Forbidden Azure: Sevenfold Blaze."
Jin approached Belford. "I also have something to tell you. I tried the other day, but you wouldn't let me get a word in…" Belford looked away slightly. "No idea what you're talking about… so, what is it?"
Jin explained how he obtained a stone with dark ki, his connection to it, and what the guards had mentioned before the fight.
Belford studied him. "I say you absorb the ki from the stone."
"Huh? Why would I? It could be cursed!"
Belford's expression didn't change. "Don't worry about side effects, drawbacks, or anything else, Jin. I'll handle those for you. Your only focus should be absorbing everything from that stone, even if it's painful."
Jin thought about Belford's suggestion, weighing the risks for a few moments before his resolve hardened. Opening his eyes, he reached into his bag, pulled out the stone, and placed it in his palm. Slowly, he began to draw ki from the stone, not from his surroundings.
Immediately, a sensation overcame him—cold hands seemed to engulf his body, and visions of a past he didn't recognize flashed before his eyes. For the first time, he felt truly powerless, like he was facing an ancient force far beyond him. Each pull of ki brought searing pain, but he pushed on, gritting his teeth, determined to endure.
For the next three days, he continued in this state, meditating with the stone as his sole ki source. His teammates, though puzzled by the dark energy emanating from the stone, didn't dare interrupt. Even the forest seemed aware of the shift in power; not a single creature dared come within sight of Jin.
"Do you think… we should get rid of that stone? Just look at Jin…" Riven said looking at Jin, who was panting heavily, grunting, biting his teeth while in this state of meditation.
"I don't believe that's the wisest choice." Kael said looking at him. "If we disturb the flow now… the effects it'll have could be devastating to Jin. Let's watch for a little longer before doing anything at all… for now let's just gather more food and begin mediating afterwards last every other day.
Kade and Riven nodded in agreement and left for hunting.
As Jin continued to absorb the ki from the stone, an unexpected surge erupted, flooding the surrounding area with dark energy. Jin clenched his fists, bracing against the overwhelming force, but kept pulling it all in. His mind became a storm of haunting thoughts—pain, suffering, and echoes of lives long past. Strangely, amidst this turmoil, he found a grim sense of peace. He accepted that, though the agony was unbearable now, once it passed, he would emerge stronger.
Three days passed, each second an eternity. The forest around him had grown deathly quiet, the wildlife sensing the ominous aura emanating from Jin and keeping their distance. His friends, still on watch, exchanged uneasy glances as the air thickened with the dark ki, but they dared not intervene still.
Finally, Jin sensed the stone's power settling down, its once rage-filled energy easing into his core. With one last surge, he drew in the final vestiges of its ki, his entire body pulsing with a newfound strength that felt both foreign and familiar. He exhaled slowly, opening his eyes, and for a moment, his vision flickered with dark memories still lingering in his mind.
His friends looked at him and immediately sensed something different. They weren't sure what it was, but they knew it. Something had changed drastically.
Jin got up slower than he normally would, his hair now transformed from pure black to a mix of black and white near the ends. He muttered only a few words, "Let's spar." He grabbed his tanto and activated "Forbidden Azure: Spirit of the Phantom Blade" subconsciously. The flame was completely black, burning with an insatiable desire to consume everything in its path, scorching the air around him.
As Jin stood still, his tanto engulfed in the dark flame, Kade, Kael, and Riven exchanged a quick glance before turning toward Jin, slightly uneasy as they sensed the intensity surrounding him.
Kade let out a low whistle, breaking the silence. "You feel that, right? He's… completely different," he murmured, swallowing hard.
Riven and Kael nodded, Kael speaking first. "It's more than 'different,' as you say… it's like he's a whole new person. Look at that control he has over his ki… he's dangerous."
Riven nodded, unable to find words to add.
Kade smirked, a flicker of excitement lighting his face at the thought of the challenge. "Well, there's only one way to find out just how much he's changed."
They exchanged one last look, then grabbed their weapons, moving into position.