CHAPTER 16
For the first of Megumi's tests, he would have to master control of the innate energy that flowed within him, and it wasn't going to be easy.
That dreadful, perilous, and intense ache should have been the reason he would have refused to undergo this training, but as ironic as it was, it was the only thing that fueled his mind as he tried his best to focus.
He could feel the innate energy rushing through him, flowing through every inch of his body like a rushing cascade, refining it, but it was too subtle, too faint… It wasn't enough.
This feeling of emptiness he felt right now had only manifested after Rikiyo had done what she did earlier; now, unless his innate energy was flowing through every cell in his body, he felt empty, and somehow that feeling of emptiness was helping him concentrate better.
Slowly, he was directing the flow of the swirling pool of energy into his beating heart. He intended to start one part at a time.
He felt a warm touch slowly engulf his heart, and then it turned into a harrowing burn. Writhing in pain on the icy floor, he tried to stay focused.
This time, though, with the pain only concentrated on one organ of his body, the pain was far less compared to what he had felt back when Rikiyo had held his hand.
Every moment of torment he felt as his well of innate energy slowly permeated his heart felt like an eternity, but amidst that pain was a subtle feeling of wholeness. His cells felt more lively, like he was being reborn.
The slow, gentle invasion of his innate energy was filling up his beating heart faster than he had anticipated. He just had to grit through the pain, and then he would be done in the next few hours…
His heart felt rejuvenated, each beat faster than the last as it was engulfed in a small pool of innate energy.
Then… Just as his heart was about to be filled to the brim, he felt a searing pain go through his head. It felt like a heavenly mace had been smashed atop his skull. Opening his mouth wide, he let out a loud, dreadful scream.
He felt immensely weak as his shoulders suddenly gave up on him, his hands quickly falling to his waist. His vision blurred, drowning in darkness as he crumpled sideways onto the icy floor.
******
He woke soon after to see Rikiyo sitting right next to him, her hands gently placed on top of his chest. Every ounce of pain he felt a moment ago was suddenly washed away, and in its place was a pleasantly warm feeling.
She removed her hands from his chest as soon as he was awake, and slowly he sat up on the floor of ice, crossing his legs once more.
Then, as he was about to place his palms together, he heard his sister.
"I'm surprised you managed to endure for so long before succumbing to the pain. Excellent job, brother."
Hearing the compliment, a faint smile found its way onto his face as his palms were placed together just slightly below his chin.
'What the hell are you smiling at, fool? It was just a single compliment.'
Quickly, his faintly curled lips lowered, and on his face, a grim expression remained. Once again, he closed his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of his innate energy flowing through the entire confines of his being once more.
He was soon able to grasp it, and then he started to focus once more.
Once again, the harrowing pain engulfed his heart as it was slowly invaded by the welling innate energy slowly pooling up inside it. However, the pain felt less significant than it did last time.
The pool of innate energy he had managed to have permeate his heart last time still had his cells vigorously burning, and it was because they were rejuvenated that he was able to accomplish this feat with less pain.
A sudden realization washed over his mind as he thought back to when Rikiyo had grabbed his hand. It was only then that he felt the emptiness that lingered in him; trying to fuel his heart with innate energy had amplified that feeling and thus made it much less harrowing to fill it to the brim.
It was now obvious to him that his sister had done what she did in an attempt to prepare him better for what he was doing now. The pain was still great, but it was quickly getting less with each try.
With the new thought in mind, he began concentrating on the innate energy toward other parts of his body. His lungs were the next organ he decided to focus on after his heart.
However, unlike the first time with his heart, he didn't proceed to fill it to the brim instantly. Slowly and gently, he let the innate energy permeate his lungs, swirling around in the air sacs as it began to revitalize his cells once again.
Then, just as it was about to flow up to a certain point, he would make it stop, slowly emptying his air sacs and leaving behind energized cells. Once more, he would permeate his lungs with innate energy, allowing it to fill his lungs even more.
And then, after a long and perilous amount of time, he finally had his lungs burning, filled to the brim with innate energy.
He continued to the other parts of his body in the same manner, but by the time he began the third, he realized that he had considerably weakened in contrast to when he had begun.
The first strain was on his mind as he began to find it difficult to focus on the flow of dark energy in his body, and then his thighs and shoulders began to give in as well.
He gritted his teeth, trying to push through the pain, but he couldn't resist for long as his palms slowly began shifting apart. Then, they slipped down to his waist, and with little resistance, he fell onto his back on the floor of ice.
Drawing in quick horse breaths, he mustered whatever strength he could and sat up once again, his legs now spread apart. In front of him was his sister Rikiyo, her gaze intently fixed on the floor where she had scribbled the lines earlier.
However, those strokes and curves weren't there anymore. She had cleaned them off, and he didn't know how long she had been kneeling in front of him, gazing emptily at the floor.
However, she soon sprang up from the floor, her eyes now filled with enthusiasm and burning determination.
"Well, it seems you managed to exceed my expectations once again, brother. At this rate, you'll master control of your innate energy in a few more hours, and then I can teach you Shadow Strike as I promised."