Chapter 24: 24 | Awakening
I could hear the slight breeze blowing as a wind chime lightly rings. I was laying on a soft bed with a blanket covering me. I dreamt of my grand room back at the Yun estate and Raiya waking in as he sat at the edge of the bed looking at me. He grabs my hand and kissed it as he said,
"Forgive me, Junhe."
Forgive him? It should be me asking for forgiveness. If I didn't exist in the first place, you and your siblings would've had a better life. Everything that happened, wouldn't have because of me. Everytime I'm near you, you're always miserable and it pains me because the person I love is suffering because of me. I could feel my tears slide off my face as someone wipes it off.
Someone shakes my body roughly and I could hear ZhouHan call my name as he says,
"Junhe. Junhe wake up!"
I slowly open my eyes and look around me. I was in a room on a bed. The shoji screen doors and windows were closed and in the middle of the room was a table with a lit incense tray.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"Junhe, I know you didn't want to come back, but I didn't have any other choice."
My breathing began to feel heavy and uneven. It felt as though I was suffocating. ZhouHan offers me a cup of water, but I push it away as I crawl off the bed. ZhouHan pushes me back onto the bed as he said,
"Junhe, please understand. I did it for your own good."
"Where am I?"
"We're in my quarters at the palace. I was able to get an acceptance letter for your stay."
"I'm leaving." I said as I struggle to pass by ZhouHan. "Let go of me!"
Suddenly the shoji screen door swings open and Hulang walks in carrying a spear. My heart drops at the sight of him. He looks at me uncomfortably and then proceeds to say,
"Welcome back. Seems like your journey was cut short."
"You guys know each other?" ZhouHan asked.
"Here's your spear." He says as he sets it against the wall. "Mmm. You could say we were something like family, but not quite. He's my younger brother or at least he used to be before he left."
Hulang walks out and closes the door behind him. My hands placed at my knees clench the clothing as ZhouHan places his hand over mine.
"If he's your brother then your family is the Yun clan? They're the ones who made you suffer and taught you weird things?! Why didn't you say anything?"
"You knocked me out before I could say it!"
"Ah... I'm sorry Junhe, I should have let you finish. I see why you strongly refused coming back with me. You probably knew that I knew them and if not then I would know of them. Their reputation is pretty high after all."
"If you know now, then I'm leaving." I sighed as I stood up to walk out.
"Junhe. I still can't let you leave. As long as that tracking seal is on you, you'll always be in danger. How about we take a small walk instead? I'll show you around!" said ZhouHan as he follows he from behind.
I stop in front the door and turn back to the bed.
"I can't win against you in a fight, so if you won't let me leave, then I won't. I also won't leave this room. I'll stay here forever. However, if I kill myself before the Raven finds me, then you only have yourself to blame."
"When did you learn how to be this stubborn?" ZhouHan laughed.
I sulked on the bed and pulled the sheets over my head. ZhouHan sits on the edge of the bed and pats my back.
"I won't keep you here forever. Once we find out how to undo the seal you can leave, but I won't be able to go with you, so why don't I teach you how to use your element while you're here?" ZhouHan offered. "But you'll have to leave the room."
"My element? Even if I learn it now, it'll take years before I can properly control it. What's the point?"
"Although you won't be able to use it properly right away, it's still better to learn it slowly. Not only that, but it can help you when you're in a difficult situation." I sighed because I knew he wasn't wrong.
The next day ZhouHan taught me more about the elements while we sat around his table in his quarters.
"Anyone can use an element as long as their body is compatible with the flow of nature. It's like breathing. Your body takes in spiritual energy and releases it. The only difference is that the spiritual energy can be stored in your core. Most cores are located in the heart, but sometimes they can reside in the brain or abdomen.
The first step to finding your element is awakening your core and you can only awaken it by having someone skilled enough pour their spiritual energy into your body. If they aren't careful you can die."
"Die? Just to awaken the core?" I questioned.
"Mmm. You're putting your lives in someone else's hands. That's why most people don't have an element. The process is long and painful. Afterall, it's like a form of attack. For example, when you release spiritual energy into a person, it's like a water elemental person pouring water into you. If it's too little or too much, you can die.
However! I'm quite experienced in awakening other's cores, so you have nothing to worry about! Usually it takes three days to awaken a core, but I can do it in one. I've already set up this space properly, so there's no outside distractions."
With that, ZhouHan proceeds to help awaken my core. He sat behind me and placed both his palms on my back. I felt an incredible sense of heat and pain throughout my body. It was like my organs were boiling.
"Concentrate. If you collapse here then you'll die." said ZhouHan.
I held on thinking to myself that the pain wasn't as bad as the pain I held in my heart. It was a long day, but the internal boiling feeling finally subsided towards the end. The sky was dark and there was a slight breeze. I was covered in cold sweat and heavily breathing.
"You did great! Tomorrow I'll teach you more. For now, take a bath and rest. I'll be in the room next door if you need anything." said ZhouHan as he closes the door behind him.
As I stood up, my vision blurred and I tripped over myself falling onto my knees. I stumbled my way to the bath house. Unlike my room at the Yun estate where it was connected to a bath house, this bath house was in a different section. I washed and soaked my body in the hot bathtub exhausted. The steam filled the air, the windows were slightly open, and an incense stick was lit. It was so calming that I slowly drifted to sleep.
"Are you planning to drown after your awakening?" a voice asked.
It was a deep gentle voice, one that I was too familiar with, yet different. His hands supported my neck as he washed my hair before rinsing it off. I could feel him comb my hair as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
"Junhe." he called for me.
I slightly open my eyes to see the back of a man grabbing a towel before I drifted off into a deep slumber.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone