Chapter 25: 25 | Enhancing
WARNING R18
The morning light in the room shone brightly as I open my eyes. I touch the bed I was laying on and looked around the room. It felt strange because I don't remember how I got back or when I dressed myself last night. All I could remember was falling asleep in the bath house.
"Junhe. I'm coming in." said ZhouHan who was standing outside the screen door. "Are you ready? Today we'll bring taking a trip into the hunting grounds. It's the closer than the woods."
After cleaning and dressing myself up we walked to the hunting grounds and he showed me around. The palace consisted of two layers. The inner most layer was where the Qin Country's King lived with his family and most trusted servants. The outer layer was where the army resides. Many men and women either live in the outer layer or with family. ZhouHan lived in the outer layer and the hunting grounds was also in the outer layer. The palace itself felt as big as a country.
Arriving at the hunting grounds, ZhouHan proceeds to teach me more about the core as we walk towards a lake.
"The second step is enhancing the core. If you don't enhance it then you won't be able to use your element. First you pull in the spiritual energy around you and store it in your core, but because at this stage you don't have an element you must be surrounded by all four natural elements. That's why we're in the hunting ground."
ZhouHan gestures to sit on the ground facing the lake as I meditate. I closed my eyes and felt the spiritual energy around me.
"Enhancing the core is like expanding your storage. The more you enhance it, then the more spiritual energy you can release, however it's easier said than done. For example, It's like inhaling, but you can only inhale so much. Meaning it's difficult to bring in the spiritual energy and store it.
Right now your storage is only the size of a breath. If you were to pour it out, you would only pour out energy as long as an exhale. Imagine the energy entering your body and encircle it around your core. I told you before where the core resides, right? Just focus encircling spiritual energy there."
As ZhouHan said, I used my imagination of some aura flowing into my body from my hands to my arms and chest. I searched for my core in the abdomen, to the heart, and then the brain, but I didn't feel any core. I searched again with the spiritual energy flowing inside me and as searched from my feet up, the energy stopped around my eyes.
I opened my eyes and the colors of the world I once knew had turned white. I could see the movement of the trees and lake, but at the same time it felt like I was blind. I screamed.
"What's wrong?!!!" ZhouHan urgently asked.
I looked up at him, but all I could see was a figure with a line of green light shining around him. Even though I knew it was ZhouHan, I stil pushed him away and my body trembled while I kneeled on the ground.
"I-it's w-white! Everything's white!" I shouted as I covered my eyes. Only when I closed it did everything turn dark. My breathing was heavy and uneven and it made me feel light headed.
"Junhe. Calm down. Junhe!" ZhouHan called for me, but I had passed out from hyperventilating.
--- Several hours later ---
"What happened?!" Someone shouted.
"I don't know. Before he passed out, he said everything was white! Something like this has never happened before!" ZhouHan shouted back. "I've already taken him to the physician and researchers, they don't know what's wrong with him."
"What about the elders?!"
"It will take me three days there and back to have an elder look at him and only a few people are authorized to meet an elder. Who will watch over him while I'm gone?!"
"I will."
"You?! You're the reason why Junhe refused to come back to Qin Country! He had rather be taken by the Ravens than come here if I didn't force him!"
"..."
The two argued for a long time until one of them left slamming the screen door behind him. The other sat at the edge of my bed and held my hand to his lips.
"Must you always make me worry?"
His voice was gentle and filled with care. A familiar voice, yet different from the one I know.
The following day, my vision was still white. I could see movement and abstract figures, but the strangest thing was seeing people's auras. Someone stood in front of me, but I couldn't see his face. His aura was a light grey. It was calm like a creek, but almost intimidating.
"Who's there? ZhouHan? Is that you?" I asked, but they didn't answer.
Instead, they wiped my face with a warm towel and placed a bowl into the palm of my hands. I guessed it was congee, but as I scooped a spoonful, it was liquid. Soup? I slurped a spoonful, but it burnt my tongue and I dropped the bowl shattering it.
The figure moves about in front of me and although I couldn't see, I knew they were cleaning it up.
"Ah. I can clean it myself, you don't have to." I said as I move to pick up the broken pieces.
The figure grabs my hand and picks me up placing me back on the bed. It was a man. His build was bigger than mine. After he cleaned up my mess, he proceeds to feed me by blowing on the soup before he fed me.
"Ummm. I can do it myself. I'll be careful this time." I said, but he never spoke. He just placed the bowl back into my hands.
The man stayed next to me at all times. He guided me to the outhouse, walked with me, sat with me, but he didn't talk to me. I figured he was probably mute. I couldn't help, but laugh.
"Why would ZhouHan have a mute take care of a blind person? We're both cripples." I said as the man stroked the back of my head as if he was comforting me.
At nightfall, my sight had turned from white to gray. At least the colors changed, so I still knew if it was daylight or not.
"I'm going to the bath house, you don't have to follow me. I know the way there." I said as I proceed to walk out, but the man followed me anyway. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm used to being blind. Even though I can't see that well, I can still feel surfaces. I've memorized the bumps and dents on the floor and walls, so I know where I'm going."
However, the man just kept following me. He even helped me bathe. He washed my hair as I soaked in the tub. I could help, but feel like this had happened before.
"Are you perhaps the one that helped me get out of the bath house last time?" I asked.
His hands stopped for a couple seconds before proceeding to rinse my hair.
"You are, aren't you? I would like to thank you. I was really tired that day and the bath tub was so warm that I couldn't help but relax. It seems I relaxed too much and fell asleep." I chuckled.
Returning to the room, the man gently combed my hair getting rid of all the knots before I turned in for night.
For the next five days, the man took care of me, but on the fifth night he was different. After combing my hair he would lightly kiss the nape of my neck and pinch my nipples over my robe.
"Mmm~ ngh. Ah-" I couldn't help, but make these noises that escaped my mouth.
I didn't hate his touch. In fact it felt like it was Raiya that was touching me. The way he played with my nipples was similar. Their build was the same and like that one night Raiya touched me, even his hands felt the same. Could it really be Raiya? Then why isn't he saying anything? Doesn't he hate me or is he playing with me again?
He pulled my chin from behind and landed a soft kiss on my lips. Just then, I was reminded of ZhouHan's words about what a kiss meant. A kiss is only with someone you love.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone