When Ariase first touched the stones, nothing happened.
He frowned, his excitement dimming.
"Really? Nothing?" he muttered, staring at the mesmerizing crystals in disbelief.
A sense of disappointment crept in as he began to question his expectations.
He said with slight annoyance, "Surely, coming into this world, I'd have some cheat-like ability to make me overpowered, right? Isn't that how this usually works?"
Desperate, he tried the obvious.
"Status window!" he called out.
Silence.
"System!" he said, a little louder this time.
Nothing.
Embarrassed, he scratched his head and glanced around, thankful his uncle wasn't there to witness his antics.
With a sheepish grin, he muttered, "Good thing no one's here to see me making a fool of myself."
As he held one of the mystic stones in his hands, he sighed, frustration etched across his face.
"Can I really not use this? Do I have to wait until the awakening rite?"
He took a deep inhale, the weight of his disappointment settling in.
But just as he exhaled, something extraordinary happened.
The mystic stone in his palm began to glow faintly, releasing a delicate strand of energy shimmering in seven divine colors.
Ariase froze, his eyes widening in shock as the energy threaded its way into his body.
The sensation was foreign yet thrilling, a gentle warmth coursing through him.
His heart raced as he suppressed the urge to shout in celebration.
He clenched his fists, grinning so broadly it hurt his cheeks.
"I knew it! I knew something would happen! It seems the heavens have yet to abandon me!"
But his joy was tempered by caution.
"Shoot! I better stay silent for now, or else Uncle might wake up."
He took a deep breath, calming himself as his mind raced to piece together what had just happened.
Then, it hit him.
"But to think the answer was as simple as meditation," he whispered, a grin spreading across his face.
"I should have thought of it sooner. Though... there's always the stone liquefaction method."
He paused, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
"But that's off-limits for now."
He chuckled, his excitement bubbling over.
It was common knowledge that mystic stones couldn't be used before the rite.
Yet here he was, doing the impossible.
With a proud, almost smug look, he muttered to himself, "Maybe… just maybe, I'm also a genius in practicing the path too. Then, that would really be amazing!"
He chuckled again, his excitement almost childlike.
"Alright then, let's keep going. Hehe~"
Determined, Ariase sat on the floor, settling into a full lotus position.
He placed a mystic stone in each hand, their energy pulsing faintly in the dim light.
Closing his eyes, he began to breathe deeply—inhaling and exhaling with a slow yet steady rhythm.
His mind calmed as he focused on the stones in his palms, trying to guide the energy through his body, just like the protagonists in cultivation stories he used to read.
But as the energy flowed, he realized something remarkable—it was moving on its own, as if it already knew its path.
The energy coursed from his hands to his arms, spiraling upward toward his neck.
Finally, it converged at his glabella, the center of his forehead, where it pooled and pulsed rhythmically.
Ariase remained still, his mind serene.
With each inhale and exhale, he felt the energy integrate into his being, a faint hum of power resonating within him.
And so, he continued, his heart pounding with excitement and determination, knowing he had just scratched the surface of something extraordinary.
...
It was almost 7:30 AM.
Herman yawned, stretching his arms as he shuffled out of bed, still groggy from sleep.
His thoughts were muddled, but something felt... very off.
His brow furrowed as an inexplicable sense of unease crept over him.
He paused mid-stretch, turning his head toward the door.
The air felt heavy, charged with energy.
His eyes snapped wide open, and a deep chill ran down his spine.
"What the—?" he muttered, already moving toward the source of the disturbance.
As he stepped into the hallway, his senses locked onto his nephew's room.
"Dang it, what happened now?" he growled, a mix of concern and frustration bubbling to the surface.
"Did that brat do something crazy again?"
Herman practically kicked the door open, the hinges creaking under the force.
What he saw inside made his breath hitch.
Ariase was seated in a lotus position on the floor, his small frame dwarfed by the swirling energy in the room.
In his hands, two mystic stones glowed faintly, their world essence draining into him.
Scattered around him on the ground were six darkened, lifeless stones—used-up mystic stones.
Herman's jaw dropped.
"H-How?!" he stammered, the words barely escaping his lips.
His nephew, who had yet to undergo the awakening rite, had somehow absorbed the essence of six mystic stones—and was working on two more.
Herman's mind raced.
Sweat dotted his brow as his eyes darted between the stones and his nephew's serene expression.
He bit his thumb, his heart pounding in his chest.
'How is this possible?' he thought.
'The Celestial Mystic Path doesn't allow this! You're supposed to break or liquefy the stone to absorb its energy.'
'And meditation? That's the practice of cultivators in China, mages in England, and a few other countries—but not here in the Philippines. This... this is unheard of.'
He clenched his fists, his golden eyes flickering with concern.
'This brat… did he tap into something dangerous? He's not supposed to have this kind of power yet. What if this could harm him?'
Still, Herman didn't dare interrupt.
Instead, he moved silently to the bed, sitting down with a heavy sigh.
His gaze remained fixed on Ariase, his mind a whirlwind of speculation and worry.
Fourteen tense minutes later, Ariase finally opened his eyes, his breathing steady, his body emanating a faint glow.
Just as he was about to smile in triumph, a soft, unfamiliar whisper echoed in his mind.
[Ancestria]
Before he could process it, ropes of golden energy shot out from nowhere, binding him tightly.
"Wha—!" Ariase yelped as he was lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air.
His heart pounded as he saw his uncle sitting on the bed, a calm smile on his face.
But something about that smile sent a chill down his spine—it wasn't warm or comforting.
It was the smile of someone teetering on the edge of anger, restrained only by sheer will.
"U-Uncle… this isn't what it looks like…" Ariase stammered, his voice trembling.
Herman didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he bent down, picking up one of the used mystic stones from the floor.
He held it delicately between his fingers, turning it over as if inspecting it.
"Oh, really?" Herman said softly, his tone calm but laced with a quiet menace.
"This isn't what it looks like, huh?"
Ariase gulped.
Herman stood, the air around him shifting as he straightened his back.
A moment later, the room was bathed in golden light.
Behind him, a radiant halo emerged—no, not just one, but four golden halos intertwined, each encircled by ten glowing stars.
The sheer majesty of it made the room tremble.
Herman's golden hair seemed to flow unnaturally, as if caught in an ethereal wind.
His eyes glowed fiercely, molten gold that seemed to pierce through Ariase's very soul.
A shimmering mark appeared on his right arm, pulsating with mystic energy.
Ariase felt his breath leave him, his chest tightening under the oppressive weight of his uncle's presence.
It was as if a deity stood before him, judging his every action.
"I'll explain!" Ariase blurted, his voice cracking.
Herman raised a hand, flicking his fingers with effortless precision.
The golden ropes vanished in an instant, dissipating into a swarm of golden-green butterflies that fluttered briefly before disappearing into thin air.
Ariase dropped to the ground, trembling as he looked up at his uncle.
Herman took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Ariase.
His voice was calm, yet it carried an authority that sent shivers down the boy's spine.
"Now speak, Ariase," he said, his tone cutting like a blade.
Hearing his name spoken like that made Ariase's stomach churn.
His uncle only called him by his first name when he'd made a grave mistake.