In a luxurious room filled with paintings of warriors, a boy with shoulder-length brown hair lay on the bed. His breathing was calm, as if he was in deep sleep. A woman in maid clothes sat on a stool not far from the bed, watching the boy with a calm expression. The afternoon light filtered through the tall windows, casting soft shadows across the polished wooden floor.
The boy stirred on the bed, moving his face and fingers slightly. Seeing the boy move, the maid's eyes widened a little for a second. Then she smiled and stood up from the stool. She then walked out of the room with big strides, her footsteps quickening as she approached the door.
As Nox stirred on the bed, he opened his eyes a little, his vision blurry. 'Where am I?' thought Nox. His head felt heavy, as if filled with fog.
He could feel the soft mattress under him, the silk sheets cool against his skin. 'I am alive?' thought Nox. He was surprised that he was alive after all those injuries. The last thing he remembered was the searing pain throughout his entire body.
He could smell herbs and elixirs around him, their scent thick and medicinal in the air. 'They must have used expensive herbs and elixirs to save me.' He could even taste the sweet taste of the elixir inside his mouth, lingering on his tongue like honey mixed with something bitter.
After some seconds, Nox's vision cleared. Nox looked around at the familiar furniture and decorations. 'Hmm, I am in my room,' thought Nox.
Nox tried to move, but his whole body felt sore. Every muscle protested with dull aches. 'Well, at least I can move my body.'
Nox looked at his hands and arms. They were clean with no blood on them. His bulging veins had also returned to normal. The skin looked pale but healthy.
Nox heard footsteps approaching and then the sound of a door opening. When he looked, he saw his brother Jason entering the room. Jason's expression was unreadable as he stepped inside.
Jason looked at him for a few seconds, not saying anything. His eyes scanned Nox from head to toe, as if assessing his condition.
"Are you ok?" asked Jason, his voice measured and careful.
Nox smiled. "Yes, I am fine. I already told you, when the mighty Jason is around, who could harm me?" replied Nox, though his voice came out weaker than he intended.
Jason snorted. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"
Nox smiled weakly. "Yes, I knew well enough. It was a calculated risk."
Jason frowned, his jaw tightening. "Calculated risk, really?"
"Of course, haven't you heard? There is no reward without risk."
Jason walked closer and sat on the stool. "Are you really in the mood for joking? If you would have seen your condition from my eyes, you would not be joking right now." His voice carried an edge of frustration mixed with concern.
Nox averted his eyes from his brother and looked at the ceiling . "Was it that bad?" asked Nox. He somewhat knew already, but still decided to ask.
Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yes, it was bad. But the good thing was that your body was strong and your endurance was also good, due to the elixirs. So, it was manageable."
"How long was I unconscious for?" asked Nox, feeling a knot form in his stomach.
"Ten days," replied Jason, his tone matter-of-fact.
Nox's eyes widened. 'For ten days?' thought Nox. He could hardly believe that much time had passed.
Nox felt a little uncomfortable because his brother was sitting on the stool and he was lying down on the bed. So, he moved from lying down to sitting on the bed. His muscles ached sharply when he moved, and he had to pause halfway to catch his breath.
Jason didn't say anything while Nox moved, but his eyes tracked every movement with vigilance. "You were lucky you didn't fail in your stunt. Otherwise, saving you would have been impossible," said Jason, his voice dropping lower.
Nox's eyes widened when he heard that. "What did you mean?" asked Nox, leaning forward slightly.
"About what?" Jason questioned back, raising an eyebrow.
Nox looked at his brother in the eyes. "What did you mean when you said, 'you didn't fail in your stunt'?"
Jason narrowed his eyes. "What do you think I mean by that? Is it so difficult to understand? Maybe there is injury left in your brain."
Nox facepalmed himself, feeling foolish. "Why am I even asking? I can just check it myself."
As Nox was about to close his eyes, he heard heavy footsteps approaching. He glanced towards the entrance and saw his father enter the room. He was wearing a black suit, and with his calm expression, he looked more like a businessman than a warrior. His presence commanded attention without effort.
Behind Godric entered a man. He looked in his early forties, with short gray hair and black eyes. He was average in appearance. He was wearing a butler uniform. 'Butler Harper,' thought Nox. His presence was silent and small. Nox almost missed him, as the butler seemed to blend into the background like a shadow.
Seeing his father entering the room, Jason stood up from the stool with immediate respect. Even Nox tensed a little. He was a little afraid that his father would be angry because of his actions. His heart began to beat faster.
Godric stopped near the bed. He spoke without any expression. "Are you ok?" asked Godric with a soft tone that surprised Nox.
"Yes, Dad, I am fine," replied Nox, straightening his posture despite the pain.
"Although what you did was very dangerous, sometimes we have to take risks. Without risk, there is no reward," said Godric, his gaze steady and unwavering.
Nox nodded. His eyes were a little wide. He was shocked by his father. He never thought his father would speak with him in a soft voice after what he did. He was ready to hear a stern voice. What he did was foolish and dangerous. He basically had no other choice. He didn't want to live a mediocre life, always in the shadow of his talented siblings.
Nox smiled, happy that his father understood him.
"But sometimes risks bring consequences. You overused your ki while you created your core, and it affected your life force," said Godric, his expression growing more serious.
Nox's eyes widened, shocked by his father's words. He also remembered what he was about to do when his father entered the room. He closed his eyes. He concentrated on the area where his core should be with his inner sense, which is also called the mind's eye.
He saw nothing. He was confused. His father clearly said his core was complete, but why couldn't he see it? A wave of panic began to rise in his chest.
He heard his father's voice. "Concentrate further. Look deeper."
Nox concentrated further, pushing his awareness deep inside him. He tried to reach deeper, and there he saw it.
Surrounded by vast nothingness, shining like a star, his core lay there inside this mysterious space, like a star floating in the void of space. He was confused. 'What is this place?' thought Nox. The sight was both beautiful and unsettling.
As if reading his mind, he heard his father's voice again. "It's your soul. Your core is inside your soul. The ki is made from our life force and soul. Soul is the essence of us living beings, so when you form your core, it resides in our soul."
Nox watched his core for some time, mesmerized by its gentle pulsing glow. This is what he longed for. This is what he trained so hard for. He spent so long in despair, thinking he would never succeed. The years of failure and disappointment felt like distant memories now.
Ever since he failed to make his own ki, he was somewhat convinced that he would never succeed in making it. But the unexpected opportunity changed it all. The elixirs had given him a chance he thought was lost forever.
Now his dreams would come true. He would become strong and stand shoulder to shoulder with his parents and siblings. No longer would he be the weak one, the disappointment.
Nox opened his eyes. He smiled while he looked at his brother, unable to contain his joy.
"Congratulations. You are now a one-star warrior, in other words a novice" said Jason while smiling, genuine pride evident in his expression.
"Thanks," Nox smiled back, feeling warmth spread through his chest.
"Do not use your ki for a couple of days. Your life force was damaged," Godric reminded again, his tone becoming stern.
Nox nodded, understanding the gravity of the warning.
Godric pulled out a bottle from his pocket, the glass catching the light. "Take these alchemy pills, two pills a day. It will repair your damaged life force," said Godric as he handed the glass bottle to Nox. The bottle was cool and smooth in Nox's palm.
"Do not overuse your ki too much, like the last time," said Godric again, emphasizing each word.
"Let me check your ki," said Godric as he moved closer to the bed, his footsteps deliberate.
Godric put his hand on his shoulder and used a technique to sense his ki and life force. Nox could feel a warm energy flowing from his father's hand, probing gently. Souls are very difficult to sense, so he didn't try to sense it. After some seconds, he backed up and looked at Nox with a contemplative expression.
"I have sensed your ki and life force. Although your ki has increased because of your stunt, we still are not sure if you can increase it on your own. So for a few days, try to cultivate your ki while you can. Then we will know for sure if you can increase it by yourself."
Nox created his core because the elixirs increased his recovery time, and because of that, he had enough ki to form his core. Now his core only generated enough ki that he used during its creation. The amount was fixed, unchanging.
Now they needed to be sure if he could increase the ki himself through normal cultivation methods.
As he was about to say something else, he heard footsteps again, lighter than before. When he saw the newcomer, his eyes widened in genuine surprise.
Even Jason seemed surprised, turning quickly toward the door. "What are you doing here?"