Chapter 36: Advancement.
From that day onwards, Aiden ignored the voice every single night. He had grown used to its distant whispers echoing in the corners of his mind, but he refused to give it attention anymore.
Each morning, he would begin his daily cycle of cultivation, sitting cross-legged with the ten mana hearts surrounding him in perfect order.
He would absorb mana for one hour, then take a two-hour break to let his body rest and stabilize.
In this way, he could absorb mana for four hours a day without damaging his mana veins. Day after day, his life followed this strict rhythm — quiet, disciplined, and unchanging.
As time passed, small changes began to occur inside him. His mana heart, once glowing a soft green, had started to show a faint blue hue in its depths.
The change was slow but steady, and it filled Aiden with calm determination.
Every night, when he lay in bed, the whisper returned — that same eerie voice calling his name again and again.
He ignored it completely. He didn't flinch, didn't speak, didn't let fear control him. The days passed silently, marked only by training, meditation, and that faint haunting voice that never stopped.
Eighty-seven days passed in this way. Aiden had almost fully absorbed all the mana from the ten hearts. His control had become precise, his focus sharp as a blade. Tonight, once again, he sat surrounded by the faint glow of the mana hearts as he entered a meditative state.
His mana heart was now mostly light blue in color, with only a small trace of green left. As he absorbed the mana, the final hue of green began to fade slowly. Half an hour later, the last flicker of green vanished entirely. His heart now shone with a bright, crystalline blue glow.
He had done it — he was now a Stage Two Mana Cultivator. A small smile formed on his lips. But just as he was about to stop, something went wrong.
His expression changed. His mana heart suddenly began to absorb mana on its own — violently and uncontrollably.
He tried to suppress it, but no matter how much he willed it, the flow wouldn't stop. The suction grew stronger.
Despite the strange situation, Aiden remained calm. He thought to himself that there wasn't much mana left inside the hearts anyway. He simply needed to wait a few minutes, and the process would end naturally.
Five minutes passed. The mana inside all ten hearts had been completely drained.
Aiden let out a faint breath of relief. But that relief vanished instantly — his mana heart still didn't stop. His eyes widened as he saw something horrifying. The ten mana hearts surrounding him began to melt, their solid crystalline forms turning into liquid energy.
The melted material started to move toward him, glowing faintly in different elemental colors. Before Aiden could react, the substance rushed into his body through his pores.
The moment it entered, an unbearable heat flooded through him. It felt as though his entire body was being dissolved — his skin, bones, and veins burning with intense pain.
The material seemed to be condensed mana, far denser than what he had ever absorbed before.
His body trembled violently, but he gritted his teeth and endured. The molten mana continued to flow inside, spreading through his mana veins like a scorching river.
After what felt like an eternity, the agony began to fade. Aiden slowly opened his eyes, breathing heavily. The mana hearts were gone — completely absorbed into his body. Only silence remained around him.
He looked around in disbelief. Everything had vanished.
Then, suddenly, a faint white glow began to surround his body. At first, it was gentle, like moonlight. But it quickly intensified, becoming brighter and brighter until it formed a swirling vortex of energy around him.
Aiden froze. This scene — he remembered it clearly. It was the same as when he first created his mana heart years ago, when an explosion had destroyed everything around him.
His thoughts raced as realization struck him."This… this is the same as before," he muttered under his breath, fear creeping into his eyes. Then, his expression changed to one of pure urgency.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mom! Dad! Run!".Just as he said this,
The light vortex around him expanded rapidly, and before anything else could happen — Boom! A deafening explosion erupted, shaking the earth beneath their home.
The wooden house shattered instantly, reduced to flying splinters and dust. The explosion illuminated the night like a second sunrise. The explosion destroyed everything.
The whole house was destroyed. It has turned to dust some areas were melted, while some were burned some were cut into pieces.
When the dust finally began to settle, Aiden was standing at the center of the blast. He was completely unharmed, not a single scratch on his body. Just like last time.
His breathing quickened as he looked around in panic. "Mom! Dad! Where are you!?" he shouted desperately.
Through the fading dust, he saw two figures standing far away, covered in soot and dirt. As he focused, his eyes — it was his parents.
They were both in their nightclothes, torn and burned from the blast, but alive. Their faces were pale with shock. When they heard Aiden's voice, they snapped out of their daze.
Jonathan shouted, "Aiden! Are you alright!?"
Aiden heard this as he suddenly used Blitz, vanishing in an instant and reappearing in front of them."Mom! Dad! Are you okay?" he asked quickly, his voice trembling.
Jonathan looked at his son, scanning him from head to toe as he asked. "We're fine. Are you?"
Aiden nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."
Sara stepped forward, worry written all over her face as she said. "Are you really fine? You're not lying to us, are you?"
Aiden gave a serious nod as he said. "Mom, I'm really fine."
Sara sighed in relief and nodded slowly. Jonathan's expression, however, grew more serious. He crossed his arms and asked, "What happened inside your room?"
Aiden took a breath, steadying himself as he recalled everything that had happened as he said.. "Dad, I fully absorbed the mana from the hearts you gave me. When my mana heart completely turned blue, a strange situation happened. It started absorbing mana uncontrollably. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't."
He continued, his tone calm but grave. "So I let it absorb the small amount of mana remaining in the hearts. But when they were completely drained, my heart still didn't stop. The hearts around me began to melt, and that melted material entered my body through my skin."
He stopped to take a breath, then continued, " The material flowed inside my mana veins. It felt like highly condensed mana was coursing through my veins."
A shiver went down his spine as he remembered the pain he felt as he said. "It was burning hot — I thought that my body was going to melt. I endured it, and after a while, the pain faded. Then a strange light appeared around me, forming a vortex like when I created my mana heart… and then, it exploded."
As Aiden finished his explanation, both Jonathan and Sara fell silent. Their faces turned solemn as realization dawned upon them.
The explosion they had witnessed wasn't small. It was at least equivalent to a full-powered attack from a Stage Three Mana Cultivator — far beyond what a newly advanced Stage Two mana cultivator's advancement should be capable of.
Their greatest concern wasn't the destruction, but the cause. Why did this happen every time Aiden advanced? No one else in history had ever experienced such a phenomenon.
Jonathan thought. Is it because he's an all-elemental mage? He wondered. The idea made sense. The mana inside Aiden wasn't of one nature — it was of ten, merging and clashing in his body. The explosions might be the result of that overwhelming imbalance.
Then he thought about the strange phenomena of the mana hearts melting and entering his body, which he had heard for the first time. As he said, " Are you sure that the mana hearts melted and entered your body?"
Aiden nodded as he said, " Yes, Dad, I clearly saw them melt and enter my body, then it was stored inside my heart."
Jonathan heard this as he nodded seriously as he said, "It's my first time hearing about such a strange phenomenon. But don't worry, I will ask someone about this."
He took a deep breath and looked at his son as he said. "You've become a Stage Two Mana Cultivator. Congratulations."
His tone softened slightly. "But… we can't celebrate right now. Look at this mess that you have created. We will have to build a full house."
He gestured toward the ruins behind them. The house they had built with care was gone — nothing remained but ashes and dust.
Jonathan continued. "And this time, you'll help us."
Aiden lowered his head, his tone apologetic. "I'm sorry, Dad."
Jonathan nodded, his voice calm. "It's alright. But from now on…" He turned to Aiden, his gaze firm. "Whenever you're about to advance again, please do it inside the jungle. We can't rebuild a new house every time you ascend."
Aiden nodded obediently. "Yes, Dad."
Sara managed a small smile, but before any of them could say another word —
A deep, resonant thump echoed through the ground.
All three of them froze. The sound came again — thump… thump… thump. It was slow at first, then grew louder, heavier, as if the earth itself had a heartbeat.
Jonathan and Sara's expressions instantly changed. Their calmness vanished, replaced by sharp, cold alertness.
They exchanged a glance, and in that single look, both of them understood — something was terribly wrong.
The ground continued to pulse beneath their feet, each beat shaking the dust that lingered in the air.
The peaceful night was no longer silent. Something beneath the earth had begun to awaken.
Author's Note: In every rise of power, something deeper stirs — unseen, unheard, waiting. Aiden's strength has grown, but the world around him has begun to answer in kind. The heartbeat he hears now… may not belong to a dream anymore.
Written by The Hymn of Evil.