CHAPTER 95: ONE WEEK AWAY FROM HOME. SO...I CAN CULTIVATE?

Jade and Lydan left later that day to hunt, and when night fell, they returned.

After that, they didn’t say a word before they left.

No explanation or warning. They packed up and disappeared at first light, leaving nothing but two impressions in the dirt and a silence heavier than any goodbye. And maybe that was the point. Words wouldn’t change anything. Not after everything that had been done, or left unsaid.

Lynnor explained that they were headed to the Academy, where they came from. Once in a while, they went out of the Academy like this to hunt beasts for their cores. She refused to further explain why they needed the cores.

Now that they had gone back, Lynnor had to return as well. Just that...convincing Aramith and Mozrael to leave was harder, but Lynnor was persistent.

Every reason they gave not to go, Lynnor shattered with terrifying ease.

"Like I said, I have a cultivation method perfect for you," she’d said. "But it won’t work here. The environment’s too stagnant. You need a richer atmosphere, and I know exactly where to find it. Don’t ask me anything about what I know. I already knew of your attributes since day one."

They refused. The academy wasn’t an option. Being around others meant hiding, lying, and constantly fearing exposure.

She smiled. "You won’t be students. You’ll be mine. Personal disciples, and no one touches you. No one questions you."

Still, they hesitated. What if it was a trap? What if she changed again? They also found it hard to believe Lynnor would have such a high position in an academy where no one would question her students. She read their thoguhts, answering them before they even asked.

"I’m not just some instructor. I helped build the thing. They owe me more than they’d like to admit."

They still tried to come up with excuses not to go, but Lynnor countered them all.

They couldn’t risk exposing their attributes? She’d ensure no one ever saw them train.They didn’t belong in an academy? Then they’d live like wanderers with no direction.They didn’t know what they wanted? Then they were already standing still.

Each excuse was peeled away, one after the other, until all that remained was the truth: they had nowhere else to go.

And that truth hurt.

They weren’t running toward hope, but rather, they were drifting from despair. They didn’t want to follow Lynnor, but they had no path of their own. Every night of those two days, Aramith had stared into the forest, wishing he could think of something better. Every morning, Mozrael had looked at him, hoping he would. But there were no answers left. Just the choice in front of them.

In the end, it wasn’t her arguments that wore them down. It was the silence that followed each one.

Reality hit hard that they had nothing else.

No goal, no plan, and no home to return to.

In truth, the absence of a path was what forced a step forward.

So they agreed to go with her. Not out of trust, but of necessity.

Now, nearly a week had passed since that decision. The group moved through valleys where golden light filtered between canopies and cliffs towered like ancient guardians. At night, campfires glowed between distant constellations. Lynnor led, humming tunes that made no sense. Mozrael walked close to Aramith, eyes sharp. And Aramith... he kept his head low, his thoughts quieter still.

They didn’t know what awaited them at this academy.

But at least they were moving.

At least they were no longer standing still.

This night, as they settled around the fire, Lynnor decided to fulfil part of the promise she made them before setting out.

She’d told them that halfway through the journey, she’d explain in detail how they’d cope with the environment using their special attributes, and how they were going to cultivate.

After they finished eating, Lynnor made them sit before her in lotus position. Mozrael complied, but Aramith refused.

"You may think you know much about my attribute, but it’s not something that can be controlled so easily." He didn’t look at her, just focused on the fire that kept them warm.

"Do you know why they gave up on you cultivating?" Lynnor asked.

"If I did, I wouldn’t be in this situation."

"So you mean no." Lynnor let out a sigh. "Let me ask you. Do you know what it means to even cultivate?"

Aramith just glanced at her, but didn’t reply.

"Another no, huh? Okay, so let me explain to you. Some of these things you may already know, but I’ll still explain them all."

She sat up straighter, then pulled out a bottle.

Aramith grimaced. "Do you always need to drink like that?"

"This? I have thousands of them in my space bracelet. No, they’re infinity. Besides, I can’t get drunk." She took a gulp. "Okay, so where do I start from?" She thought for a second, then started. "We need air to breathe so we can survive, right? So in the same way, there’s energy in the atmosphere known as Youm. Well, you already know that part, but I’ll still say it anyway." She drank again.

"This energy is what we absorb to increase our strength and rank. The best part about cultivating is that you can live longer if you’re more powerful, like me. I believe this and a little more basics like the gates are what you know, right?"

Aramith stayed silent, Mozrael shifted, waiting for her to continue.

"Okay, so here’s where things are different. Attributes are divided into three groups depending on how the energy needs to flow. Some people, like curse wielders, alchemists, and space-users, need their minds. The energy flows best when focused up here. Painfully mental types," she pointed to Aramith’s head.

"It’s not easy at all, but that’s how they can rank up. You can imagine how much brain power someone like that would have. As for attributes like water, fire, wind, and blood," she turned to Mozrael, "you cultivate the energy through your heart for it to flow well. Passion, pulse, instinct. That’s where the energy settles best for them." She pointed to her chest, then drank the rest of the bottle.

"That actually explains why I always felt a pressure around there," Mozrael muttered, eyes widening.

"And then there are the spine-types," Lynnor continued. "Plant, earth, the Damned... their strength runs through their backbone. It’s about resilience, rigidity, and strength. Pretty useful, right?"

Aramith wasn’t impressed at all. He’d read about it before. Mozrael was also wondering why Lynnor was explaining all this when she had nothing more to add about Aramith. "We already know this. That’s why Mozrael could cultivate a bit. But they said she needed better control of herself before she could try becoming stronger."

Lynnor raised the empty bottle at Aramith. "I wasn’t done." She paused momentarily, watching the displeasure in Aramith’s eyes. "I recently discovered a fourth direction of energy flow."

She grinned at them.

"So, I discovered that the energy we control to flow through our body first settles at our cores. That’s the region around your lower abdomen. After it has settled there, we then control it to move to the other parts like the mind, heart, and spine. We rarely mention the core step since the energy settles there only briefly, just long enough to move elsewhere. And if it’s not guided, it just scatters."

Aramith understood, immediately remembering when he used to try, and the energy just won’t stay. But still, she’d said nothing. Knowledge about the core was still quite unnecessary.

"Okay, Aramith." She looked serious now. "I’ll tell you this. You can’t cultivate like other attributes. So your only possible method is to cultivate through your core."

"What?"This didn’t make any sense.

"Like I said, your attribute’s too unstable—too versatile. It mimics others, but isn’t like any of them. So the only place it can be safely stored and refined... is the core."

"That’s impossible." But even as he said it, Aramith’s breath quickened.

"I thought so too. Until I tried it myself." She leaned forward, her tone quieter now. "It’s stupidly hard. But it works. If you learn to circulate and compress the Youm in your core, it stabilizes. It doesn’t scatter. It stays."

The shock on Aramith’s face as everything clicked was an expression never seen before. And Mozrael was getting excited.

"So..." He swallowed. "You mean I can cultivate with this?"

"Well, yes. But it’s very difficult to do."

"If there is a chance, I’ll do it." He didn’t want her to say anything else to discourage him. If there was a chance to gain control over this odd power, then he would give it everything he’s got. It made sense...but most of all, he had hope.

"Didn’t think you’d be this excited about it," Lynnor chuckled.

Mozrael glanced at Aramith, then at Lynnor, still suspicious."You’re saying you’ve had a method this whole time... and just didn’t share it?"

Lynnor took a casual sip from a new bottle. "Would you have believed me if I did?"

"No..."

"See? Besides, how much time have we spent together? Too little."

Aramith doubted Lynnor right from the start, but this made sense. It was possible. But...

"How can you be sure this would work for me?"

"Still thinking, eh? Well, the truth is, because your attribute is too versatile, this should be the best way for you to cultivate. And I know you’re excited, but you need to understand all this very well before I can allow you to attempt anything. Also, like I said, you need a richer environment before you can start cultivating."

Mozrael’s voice was soft. "But how do you know it won’t... harm him?"She didn’t want to believe Lynnor, but she also didn’t want to watch Aramith spiral again.

"I know how great I am, and I’m no con artist." She raised the bottle, grinning. "Besides, if I was lying, you’d be dead already."