Chapter 36: Scars That Bind
The warehouse was quiet again, but Adrian's body wasn't. Every breath carried pain, every movement reminded him of the scars left by Elias's forbidden technique. His ribs burned, his veins ached, and his muscles trembled even when he sat still.
Leah watched him carefully, her golden aura flickering faintly. "You're hurting," she said softly.
Adrian forced a smile. "Pain is the cost. Elias warned me."
Elias stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Pain means the technique worked. You anchored the breakthrough. The hunters didn't sense it as strongly this time. But scars don't fade. They accumulate. Every time you use it, you'll carry more."
Adrian clenched his fists, pendant glowing faintly against his chest. "Then I'll carry them. If it keeps the hunters away, I'll endure it."
But the pendant pulsed harder, brighter, as if responding. Adrian gasped, clutching his chest. The warmth spread through his veins, steady but unsettling. He felt the scars burn sharper, as if the relic itself was feeding on them.
Leah stepped closer, alarmed. "It's reacting to your pain."
Elias frowned. "Relics don't feed on strength alone. They feed on sacrifice. The scars aren't just damage — they're fuel."
Adrian's stomach dropped. "Fuel?"
Elias nodded grimly. "Every scar you carry binds you tighter to the relic. It grows stronger as you weaken. That's the balance. That's the burden."
Silence hung heavy. Adrian sat there, chest heaving, pendant glowing faintly. He thought of the cavern, of the fragments humming with energy, of the voice that had echoed in his mind: Chosen vessel. Guardian of roots. Defy fate.
He whispered to himself, voice hoarse. "Then this is what it means to be chosen. To bleed so the relic can rise."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "But if it feeds on your scars, then it's not just guiding you. It's consuming you. How much can you give before it takes everything?"
Adrian clenched his fists, pendant pulsing brighter. "As much as it needs. If that's the cost, I'll pay it."
Elias shook his head. "That's the danger. Relics don't care about your body. They care about their purpose. If you give too much, you'll break before you ever reach it."
Adrian looked at him, then at Leah. He felt the weight pressing down heavier than ever, but for once, it didn't crush him. It steadied him. The scars burned, but they reminded him of survival.
That night, the visions returned. Adrian stood in the middle of a street, emerald light flooding the city. Hunters hissed in the shadows, their eyes glowing faintly. But behind him stood people — dozens, maybe hundreds — carrying fragments of stone. Their faces were ordinary, but their scars glowed faintly, binding them to the relic's light.
The pendant pulsed brighter, flooding his chest with warmth. Adrian gasped, whispering to himself. "Scars are the roots. Scars are the bond."
He woke with tears in his eyes, chest burning, pendant glowing faintly. Leah sat nearby, watching him. She had stayed again, refusing to leave him alone.
"What did you see?" she asked softly.
Adrian swallowed hard. "People. Ordinary people. Carrying scars. The relic was binding them too. It's not just me. It's all of us."
Leah's gaze hardened. "Then maybe that's the truth. The relic doesn't choose one vessel alone. It chooses many. And scars are the price we all pay."
Adrian clenched his fists, whispering to himself. "I'll rise. I'll uncover the truth. And I'll carry this legacy. Scars or not."
The pendant pulsed again, brighter than before.
And Adrian Reyes knew the path ahead wasn't just about cultivation or history. It was about scars — each one binding him tighter to the relic, each one feeding its legacy, each one reminding him that survival was never free.