Chapter 5: A Pair of Travelers
"Nnngghhhh…" A groan echoed through the hidden cave chamber. Brows furrowed, teeth clenched, skin pale, and back drenched, Damon looked like he had just woken up from intense nightmares. He had spent an additional hour or so impaling his Mind Node with mind spikes. Compared to the first time he experienced the pain, his tolerance had improved tremendously over the past four years, but it was still incredibly torturous.
"Phew…" Damon exhaled a heavy breath. "I can now withstand ten spikes, each requiring a few minutes to recover. Any more than this will cause lasting damage to my Mind Node, even with the assistance of the Mindsoul dew. With this last cultivation session, I am finally at the peak of mid stage Node Awakening."
The first spike had immediately awakened Damon's Mind Node and accelerated his progress into the early stage of Node Awakening. However, he soon discovered that the mind spike tempering actually slowed his cultivation, not facilitated it. It forged the mind by first destabilizing and then compressing it, condensing his mental power. Although this did not increase the capacity, it strengthened the power he could release.
"If not for the mind spike tempering, I may even be at the late stage already. I'm not sure if the tradeoff is worth it, but it is probably an advantage to have greater strength than others in the same realm of cultivation, right? I must place my trust in Master Silas's foresight when he created this secret technique. It must have additional benefits that I do not yet understand. Speaking of mind spike tempering, I wonder what will happen if I use this technique on others?" Damon contemplated.
Damon had been dumbfounded on that very first day of cultivation, as he had somehow achieved Node Awakening immediately. The book had stated it would take an estimated year or two to achieve, leading him to believe he was a genius. He eventually concluded that rather than him being a genius, the concentration of mental energy in the atmospheric essence must have increased since the time period his Master lived in, bringing about this stroke of luck. He was able to deduce this as each cycle of sutra recitation always awarded him with multiple strands rather than needing several months just to form one. This overabundance of natural mental energy allowed him to reach the mid stage very quickly as well.
Damon rose from his seated position and lumbered over to the table. He grabbed and unstoppered a small emerald vial, proceeding to pour the contents into his mouth. A cool, soothing sensation spread through his mind, relieving him of the lingering, splitting headache caused by the accumulated damage to his consciousness.
"This Mindsoul dew is indeed very effective in healing injuries to the mind. Without it, I would require a few days, if not weeks, between each tempering session to recover naturally. The dew also produces a few wisps of raw energy as it is digested, giving my cultivation a tiny boost. It must be quite a precious resource in the cultivation world; how incredibly fortunate for me to attain it along with my cultivation arts."
Damon's tendency to talk to himself out loud did not diminish over time. It was instead growing worse. He rested for a while longer before departing the chamber, heading for his shack. Although he had sometimes slept in the cave, he had always preferred to return to his home. The same blankets always felt warmer and more comfortable in the bed he had shared with his parents than they did in the cave.
Before the morning sun rose, Damon awoke from a short slumber. His cultivation allowed him to function without sleep, but his condition would worsen, and his control over mental power weakened. A short rest was necessary every day or two. His need for sustenance had not been abated by cultivation either, prompting him to maintain a regular schedule to provide for himself. Despite the villagers offering to support him, he had continued to toil with his small body to get by. Eventually, the villagers ceased trying to convince him and instead offered him small chores in exchange for payment. At present, he had become accustomed to the labor, and it had actually aided in creating his lean and robust physique.
During his final trip lugging water into the village, Damon noticed a bit of commotion outside the village chief's house. Curious, he peeked through the crowd and identified the cause of the commotion. It appeared that a pair of travelers had stopped by this village during their journey. He was slightly inclined toward learning about the world outside the village, but he decided that it would be better for him to either cultivate or practice his combat abilities, and left.
"Hey… Jon, was it? Who is that boy over there, the one carrying the buckets of water?" A cheerful and melodious voice, resembling the call of an oriole, rang out from the short figure in the center of the crowd. The children of the village had gathered around this individual, a pretty and delicate-looking maiden, around the age of 13. She had long, vivid red hair cascading down her slender back. With emerald-colored, almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and a thin mouth, she was the very picture of a princess that would be sung about by a traveling bard.
Before Jon could respond, a skinny, monkey-faced boy snickered out, "Him? He's just the village idiot. No need to mind him."
"Village idiot? Why is he called that? He does not resemble a fool."
"A while ago, he claimed he could move objects with his thoughts. He is definitely not quite right in the head. Afterward, he stopped spouting that nonsense, but he is always running up into the mountains by himself to do who knows what. He does chores for food even though the adults offered it for free. If that isn't foolish, I don't know what is." The same boy jeered mockingly.
"Jeoffry, stop slandering him. There is nothing wrong with Damon; he just works hard for his share of the supplies he requires from the other villagers. The rest, he must be gathering in the mountains on his own. The moving objects thing was most likely a figment of his imagination, caused by the trauma of witnessing the deaths of his parents back then." Jon asserted.
When she heard their words, the young traveler girl looked up at the tall, hooded figure next to her in curiosity. This was her grandfather, a wizened old man with long gray hair and beard reaching his chest. His similarly bright emerald eyes looked on in the direction Damon had departed. Moved an object with his mind? Perhaps he is able to reflexively channel the faintest trace of arcane energy through his body. This usually only happens to children with a high affinity to pure arcane energy and only during the greatest adversity. I had no inclination toward testing the children of this village, but now I have the impulse to see if this small village is fortunate enough to produce a child of potential.
Damon had returned to his home to settle his equipment down before ascending the mountain to continue his cultivation. As he exited his shack, he saw two children run up the trail to his house.
"Damon! Damon! Quick, you need to come have a look! The grandpa who's visiting can use something called magic! It's so strange and fantastical, like those bedtime stories our parents used to tell! He claims that certain special children are born with the talent to use this magic, and he asked specifically for you by name!" An energetic and simple-looking boy, around the age of 12, shouted out before even reaching Damon.
"Huff… Huff… Damon, the chief has asked you to come meet the traveler if you are able…" wheezed out a girl with similar features to the boy. This was a pair of twins, a rare sight in the village.
"Why are you two in such a rush? It doesn't sound like an urgent situation," Damon replied casually. He had already experienced events surpassing one's imagination, so he did not put much importance on this so-called magic. Especially as it had never been mentioned in his Master's notes. Therefore, he believed it to be just a trick used to entertain the simple-minded.
Damon followed the excitedly chattering twins down the mountain and went to the village chief's residence. In the backyard, the villagers had surrounded the fencing to watch the happenings. He trailed behind the children, the two pushing and squeezing their way through the encirclement. When he reached the inner edge, he could finally see the circumstances.
The elderly man in robes was juggling a pair of balls covered in fire, or so he thought initially. He swiftly discovered the balls were not covered in fire, but were made of fire. Damon narrowed his eyes at the sight. He extended his Mindsense, attempting to probe them, but he did not feel anything. There were no mental energy fluctuations, nor any invisible threads. Yet, the heat radiating from the balls of fire was real.
The old man noticed Damon staring at him in curiosity and confusion and tossed the balls high up in the air, where they burst apart into numerous radiant sparks. This drew a series of loud exclamations followed by applause from the villagers.
"Boy, you are known as Damon, correct?" asked the elderly man.
"Yes, sir. I am known as Damon Fletcher. That thing you just did… The twins called it magic. Could I ask you to explain the principle behind it?" replied Damon.
Smiling, the elderly man responded, "Child, you seem very mature for your age and speak quite eloquently. Your inquisitive mind is exactly what an Arcon needs. This little parlor trick was nothing but a mere performance to amuse the crowd. Real magic is far more mysterious, dangerous and powerful. Say, would you be interested in seeing if you have what it takes to become an Arcon?"
Interesting… Is this a new form of mind cultivation? No, that's not right. If he were using mental power, I would be able to sense it. Is it a different cultivation path? Why had Master never mentioned it previously? Damon was a little skeptical about the whole story, but nodded nonetheless.
"Good, good. I do not own the tools required to test your affinity to the elements, but this stone should be able to reveal whether you have an innate affinity to pure arcane energy. In this village, the only child who manifested a reaction was Jon. I have high hopes that you will do so as well." The old man smiled as he produced a stone out of thin air. It was oval in shape, small enough to hold in your palm, and glimmered with a red light.
Damon's pupils constricted when he saw the stone appear. This old man… He must own a storage pouch or something of a similar nature! This is definitely the real deal! He did not betray his surprise on his face and reached out to grab the stone instead. He studied it in intrigue for a minute before looking back at the old man.
"It hasn't shown any reaction yet. Do I need to do something?" asked Damon.
The old man furrowed his brows in confusion as he muttered something under his breath. Afterward, he said, "Usually, the essence stone will automatically emit a radiance, the brilliance according to your degree of affinity… But… It doesn't seem like you possess any degree of affinity to arcane energy. How peculiar, I surmised your ability to move an object was due to arcane powers, but…"
Hearing the mumbling words, Damon realized the old man had called for him because he had heard the rumors. He did not quite understand why, but he was extremely averse to the idea of people finding out about his mind cultivation. Therefore, he was unwilling to allow the old man to speculate further. After brief contemplation, he stirred the mental power within himself, hoping to elicit a reaction.
The stone responded in an unexpected way.