Upon hearing her answer, a flicker of warmth gleamed in his dark eyes. At the same time, his expression remained composed.
She sounded firm, as though afraid he would retract the offer if she hesitated any longer.
Good. Her spirit was still very much alive.
Even from years ago, she was already someone with an unyielding determination. Her soft exterior was only a mask. She didn't let her fear stop her.
Ashrik smiled faintly, pleased to know how resolved Lucille was. "Let's begin. I'll remind you again, nothing is absolute yet. Don't overexert yourself."
"I know."
He scooted closer, shrinking their distance until their knees touched. The contact slightly startled her. Despite a flutter rising in her chest, she still held her ground.
Ashrik extended both of his palms. "I need to hold your hands."
Lucille swallowed. "Alright."
As he wrapped his calloused fingers around hers, his large and warm palms grounded her. She silently prepared herself to brace the unknown.
Ashrik bore his eyes onto Lucille, searching her face. Even when he found traces of worry beneath her resolute gaze, he admired her courage.
"Close your eyes," he instructed after a moment of silence. "Take deep breaths. Do it slowly."
Her eyelashes lowered as she inhaled deeply; she obeyed.
The cool and crisp night air filled her lungs, tingeing with the earthy scent of grass. She exhaled, then repeated the process. Each breath helped to loosen her tense nerves.
After realizing Lucille's breathing had steadied, Ashrik finally closed his eyes.
While holding her hands, he spoke again, voice low, "Now, try to feel the streams of spiritual energy around us. Never force the aura to come. Just sense it, let it pass by you."
Lucille did as she was told. She narrowed her focus, straining to detect the unseen flow.
After her core went berserk this morning as it attempted to pull in a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, she put it on a guard. Doing so made her core 'notice' the spiritual energy less.
Lucille took quite some time before she finally felt the cool streams that coursed invisibly through the air. The aura was drawn to her broken core, but she painstakingly stopped it from tearing through the shield.
Even without opening his eyes, Ashrik could tell Lucille was frowning. Out of reflex, she pressed her hands tighter around his.
"Loosen the guard around your core," he said gently. "Don't be afraid. Do it slowly."
Her chest clenched at the words, but she forced herself to obey. As she slowly dissolved the shield to allow the spiritual energy to seep in, a cold sweat broke on her back.
And then, pain stabbed through her like a blade.
"Ah—!"
Lucille cried out in pain, her grip tightening instinctively on his hands. She huffed, trying to ease the ache from flaring through her entire body.
Ashrik was in despair, but he still commanded calmly, "Breathe, Lucy. Deeply, do it again. Follow me."
If he was as anxious as she, how could she rely on him?
She gasped for air, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Despite everything, she still followed him.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
As Ashrik guided Lucille through a rhythm, he breathed in and out too, slow and steady. Then, he drew the surrounding spiritual energy into his own core.
He carefully filtered and tampered with the energy before channeling it through the bridge of their linked hands. Without the shield around her core, it flowed effortlessly.
Lucille shivered as warmth and vitality coursed into her body. The feeling was as great as this afternoon.
But unfortunately, her relief was short-lived.
As the energy reached her broken core, less than half seeped.
Ashrik sensed what was happening. His voice remained calm even when his brows were furrowed. "It's alright. This is expected."
Her broken core was akin to a cracked vase that couldn't hold up the water poured inside. Even if it could, only partially.
Lucille bit her lips, sweat beading on her forehead and brows. "But... I can't hold it..."
"Imagine, Lucy," Ashrik softened his voice as he called her. "Divert the energy you get. Imagine it sealing the cracks. Start from the center."
Even though this was based on his intuition, he believed in strengthening the heart of the core first. The energy circulation would become smoother once the center had stabilized.
The house wouldn't collapse easily if the foundation was strong.
Lucille calmed the agitation that stemmed from the pain and possible failure. She 'grasped' the remaining energy and 'lured' it to the center of her core.
It worked!
At least, she managed to draw the energy there. As for 'sealing' the existing cracks, she felt nothing yet.
They tried again and again, completely not aware of their surroundings as they were immersed in the state of cultivation.
Each time, Ashrik bore the burden of channeling, his presence akin to a steady anchor to Lucille. Even though most of the energy leaked away, she wasn't in as much pain as in the beginning.
Finally, he withdrew his hands after the fifth attempt. "That's enough."
Lucille snapped her eyes open, engraved with exhaustion. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she breathed heavily.
"Why did you stop?" she asked hoarsely.
"I've told you, right? Don't overexert yourself," he replied firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Lucille stared at Ashrik, then lowered her gaze. Although she understood his concern, frustration still lingered.
As he studied her face, he saw the determination burning in her eyes despite her fatigue. Slowly, he said, "Don't worry. I'll look for ways to speed the process."
Lucille forced herself to relax. She said quietly, "Thank you, Brother Ash. You've helped me so much."
"It's nothing."
Being frustrated was inevitable. He made a mental note to resonate with the relic while cultivating with her. Perhaps it would help them restore her core more smoothly and quickly.
But...
What if doing so would put her into a more dangerous position?
What if the core ended up latching its soul to her and then caused her harm?