Chapter 5: 5. The realm of cultivators

After what felt like the hundredth time in a row, my mind was clear. There were no distracting thoughts pulling me astray, and nothing to prevent me from finally meditating. Except for my lack of knowledge on meditation in general. 

I had no clue on what I was supposed to meditate on. The snake lady had only told me to clear my mind and focus. Now, after having finally cleared my mind I had no idea on what she wanted me to focus on. So for the next ten, possibly thirty, minutes I sat there and thought about nothing in specific. 

"Umm, what am I supposed to focus on?" for the first time in the last hour, I opened my eyes and looked at my supposed mentor. 

Her eyes were closed, but I could tell that she was staring right back. 

"Your supposed to clear your mind first before you get to that part, dearie." The snake lady said with a casual wave of her hand. Most of her attention currently focused on her own meditation. 

"Yeah well I did clear my mind, now I need to know what I'm supposed to focus on." 

The snake lady sighed, and to my surprise, actually opened her eyes to look at me. It wasn't a pleasant look, I could clearly tell that she was slightly disappointed with me. Which I didn't completely understand. It was only natural that I'd have some trouble, right? 

"What you focus on is for you to decide, but ultimately, if you search yourself for it, it will come to you naturally. And then you can truly start on the path of the cultivator." Finished with her explanation, my mentor again closed her eyes and began to meditate. 

I joined her shortly after. This time trying to 'search myself' for what I should focus on. 

At first, nothing came to me. My results remained exactly as they had before. But I didn't give up, instead I chose to believe that my focus would come to me. That if I kept searching it truly would be as my teacher said it would. 

... And eventually, after what must've been an hour spent in silence, something came. 

It was blurry at first, if that makes any sense, and slowly it became clearer and clearer. Soon enough, it went from being a blob of mysterious shapes to a hand covered in rose petals. Still, it changed. 

The rose petals fell away to reveal the thorns that lay beneath the surface. They were sharp and poisonous things that would never let go. Then they too faded, and beneath them was a hand made of scales. In its palm was a rose that was also made of scales. Only the hand was made of snake scales and the rose was made of dragon scales. 

I wasn't sure how I knew this, but it didn't matter, for they too faded away. 

From their remains, a beautiful purple flower came into existence. The flower produced an alluring smell, and looked as healthy as could be. If I could've reached out to touch it, I would have. But just like the hand that came before it, the flower didn't last long. Only instead of fading away, a snake came and ate it. 

For a while nothing happened after that. 

Then the snake started to twist and shake in obvious pain. Blood poured out from its mouth, and it's eyes rolled back into its head. I watched in horror as the snake slowly - and painfully - died. And once it was dead, another change happened. 

Its scales transformed into petals and a purple flower sprouted from its tail. 

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The snake had become the flower it had eaten. And after enough time had passed, it faded away. Something else yet rising from its remains. A process that continued to repeat itself on loop until I had finally learnt what it meant. 

It was a cycle without end, vicious and beautiful, a tale of both life and death. 

In its cruel understanding I was marked and simultaneously took the first step on my path as a cultivator. My scales turned a deep lilac in some places, and took on a much darker hue in others. Flower like marks appeared next, and after them came thorns. Tiny sharp growths grew beneath the surface of my scales, ready to be unleashed at a moments notice. 

And when the transformation was finally over, I found my mentor in front of me. She was smiling. I couldn't find the strength to smile back. I was too exhausted, too drained. Which didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She just continued smiling at me until I managed to get up on my fee-Tail. 

For about a minute she continued to smile. Then she spoke. 

"You've done well. Many have died where you succeeded. And while I don't have the time to teach you anything more, I can point you in the right direction." She explained. While she did so she started to fade out, part of her face going ghostly pale. "Form a true focus. Let your understanding expand and your cultivation grow with it." 

"Thank you." I said. "But what do you mean form a true focus?"

"Trust your instincts and stay your path and it should sort itself out." She smiled. "Bye." 

And then I woke up in the forest. Again. This time without waking up even thicker than before. The only differences being the ones that I underwent after meditating. They left me feeling stronger, faster, and mentally stronger. It was almost like waking up as a better me. Only I felt like I hadn't eaten in a week and like I could probably eat an actual horse. 

Or two. 

I immediately set out for food, my thick tail leaving a trail in the dirt behind me. It also crushed sticks, small logs, and generally anything smaller than a rabbit beneath me. Even some rocks were ground into dust by the weight of my tail. And yet, I could move and lift it as easily as I could my arm turning it from limb to deadly weapon. Especially with all the thorns I now had underneath my scales. 

Then, a while later, I saw a weird mix between a goat and a snail in the distance. It had the hairs and head of a goat and the body and shell of a snail; it was also the size of a dog. The bizarre, and disturbing looking, amalgamation stood - if it could be called that - all by itself in a crater of sand. 

Despite it being the ugliest thing I've ever had the displeasure of seeing, my stomach made its hunger known. It grumbled and growled, the sounds far louder than what I was used to. But, after a bit of debate, I rushed forward. Slithering at a speed faster than I thought something my size was capable of moving at.

The weird goat snail didn't stand a chance. It was too slow to react, and by the time it noticed me it was too late. I already had it within my grasp. In the span of only a few seconds I lifted up and swallowed it; exactly like a snake would, only bigger and with far too much ease. 

My meal went straight down to the lowest portion of my stomach. Aka, near the end of my tail. Even being as thick as I was I could clearly see where it lay, weakly thrashing. 

Not long after, less than a minute really, my stomach reminded me that it was much bigger than before. Bigger than it should have been in my opinion. And I set out to hunt for more food. 

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