Chapter 9: Chapter 9 – The First Step Is Always the Hardest

 

Aila had learned how to absorb the elements, and worked hard to fine tune it. She had experimented with wood, and transferred that knowledge over to stone. That was why there were some repairs to the manor.

"Hm, stubbornly deposited. I wonder if the death elements have forced it to adhere. Well, lets get rid of that first." The Black One's mind began to clear as she felt some light enter her body, and a forceful suction within her consciousness.

One has to know that the people of this world are mentally affected by the elements they absorb, just like Aila was more temperamental with the fire elements. Cultivators are more susceptible to mental stress from the elements they are saturated with, especially if they do not have an affinity to it.

Death and dark elements permeated her being, and turned her personality dark, and dull. She smiled as the weight upon her mind disappeared along with the death elements that she had assumed were dark elements.

"Now, lets cleanse your meridians. This may take some time." She looked at the guards. "There is flame wolf, and boar meat in the kitchen. You may grill and salt it, if you wish to eat." The guards bowed deeply. They could already tell that the Black One was quite pleased with this visit, and that it hadn't been a wasted trip.

"Do as she says, and send some to the others. Alert us if there is any movements in the forest, as her concentration will be on me."

 

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To say that the Black One was shocked would be an understatement. Her hand, which was once withered and looked like an old woman's, now appeared twenty years younger, and continued to get fresher.

Her body continued to regenerate as Aila slowly worked on the elements that clogged her meridians. Her channels opened up, and her dantian also started to clear. Unfortunately, the death elements had a hold on her mental space, known in this world as the spiritual sea.

"Hm, you have a dark element affinity, but you've almost exclusively absorbed death elements. You need to get rid of any corpses that you use to cultivate." The Black One was a bit startled.

"There is a difference?" She asked.

"A big one. Death is what I call the Super Element of Darkness. A super element is the more powerful version, but more highly focused, and specialized. Like lightning is the super element of air, and lava is of fire, the super elements can be material forms, like lava, or immaterial, like lightning. Water has ice, and earth has metal. Life is the super element of light. The super elements can not exist without the base element though. Right now, your space is filled with the death element, but your affinity is for dark elements. I can cleanse it, but I'll need to invade your space." The Black One took a deep breath, as she was a little shaken.

"Is that possible? To invade the spiritual sea of another?"

"I am not sure, but if I don't, the death elements will seep out again, and work their way from the inside out. Like poison." Aila sighed. "Stay the night. I'll need to teach you how to see the dark element anyway, and the best time for that is at midnight." Again, the Black One was shaken firmly to her bones.

"It's naturally occurring?" She asked. Aila tilted her head.

"Of course. Light naturally occurs during the day, so dark elements are naturally occurring at night. At midnight, the darkest part of the night, that is when it is more pure and rich. If I can't help you see it at that time, I won't be able to teach you in this lifetime."

 

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The Black One murmured as Aila entered her space, and purged the death element. She was as gentle as she could be, but it was like a battlefield. She had to force the death element back, pierce the entrance to the Black One's spiritual sea, then suck it all away like she did to the corpses.

'Not bad.' Aila said softly as she cleansed the area. She didn't know that the Black One heard her voice. 'In spite of the foreign element, I can tell that she is an imaginative woman, and quite intelligent. To survive for so long while bathed in death, I kind of admire her.' She sighed softly, and slowly pulled out of her space, without the knowledge that the Black One heard every word.

"Clean. Your space is not that large, and your storage pool was polluted with death elements, but in order to purge them completely, I had to use light to eliminate all traces. You almost formed a death core, which would not have been good." The Black One shuddered.

"So I was close to being dead myself."

"Not just dead, but living dead. Like a zombie, but with intelligence. A real monster." The Black One shuddered. She was a dark element user, and didn't know if she could stand becoming one of those things.

"It's close to nightfall. Close your eyes. I can sense all the elements, so right now, I sense flame, light, and life elements all around me. I'll get rid of the residues of the day, so you can see the dark elements begin to coalesce." Aila concentrated, and soon, all the elements began to rush towards her.

"I can feel that!" The Black One said in awe. "I've never felt someone cultivate before."

"I do things a bit differently then you. You absorb what you can feel is in direct contact. I pull the elements towards me." Aila said.

"How do you do that?" The Black One suppressed her excitement. One had to know that to affect a large area, their methods had to be either a really powerful one, or a divine grade technique.

"The elements can be absorbed passively, but why do it so casually? Your mind is what affects the elements. Close your eyes. Your affinity is for dark elements, so this will be the easiest for you to see. Don't look for that cloud, or fog. The dark elements are dark areas, but they sparkle like a polished onyx stone." The Black One frowned.

"At first, it may take a while for you to see with your mind. You don't want to use your eyes. Use your senses. The combination of knowing what you want to see, and feeling its existence will allow you to see the dark elements." The Black One tilted her head, and tried to consider what she asked.

"Don't think. It's like walking in a pitch black room. You get close to a wall, but you can't see it. Some people will know it's there by sensing its existence." That opened the door for the Black One. Her mind trembled, and she started to see with senses she had never used before.

"Oh my stones." She whispered. "Sparkles. I see a few."

"Don't let go of that. Keep watching." Aila smiled. "Those will begin to gather and multiply. Now that you can sense the dark element, you can gather it. A person can gather water from a basin with their hands, but elements are different. Just as you sense them with your mind, you must move them with your mind. The easiest way is to picture your hands cupped together, fill the cup with the element, and pull it towards you. The image itself is important." Aila smiled as she felt the Black One's arms try to move.

"Don't move your hands. Use your mind. It's the image you want, not the movement of your body." The Black One suppressed her natural inclination to move her arms and hands, and used the mental picture to do as she was told.

"Have you ever seen a basin, or a cup with a hole in it, but water was poured in?"

"Yes." The Black One said quietly.

"The water swirls around the hole. The hole sucks the water out of the cup. Your meridians are the hole. Suck the dark elements from your hands cupped together, and channel it into your dantian." She watched as the Black One's hood was flung back and the older woman stood up in shock.

"I did it! Dark elements were actively pulled into my dantian!" The Black Guards couldn't move for the shock they felt. They were trained to show no emotions, but now it felt like their faces would split open from the effort. Aila smiled.

"Congratulations. The first step is always the hardest."

 

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