Chapter 18: Legacy of House Elias
Bright, subtle rays of sunshine entered Kai's room through the bedside window. The room had been maintained in a fairly neat manner, the books were delicately standing on the slightly crooked table.
There wasn't an ounce of dust in the room, it had been wiped clean regularly. A result of the constant habitation by the young boy, who for the time being frequently rested here.
Rough breathing sounds reverberated through the room, standing at the edge of the door one could clearly hear them. It was a sound of a suffocating pain, with the occasional groan mixed in, but heavily controlled so as to not alarm anyone around.
Tressa Grier had just concluded the morning chores, after washing up she promptly made her way to observe her son.
She walked upto the small room at the corner of the house, without knocking she carefully placed her ear on the door. Breathing sounds, aking to the snores of a beast resounded in her ear.
A very soft smile crept up on her face as a giggle almost escaped her mouth. She slowly opened the door by a smidge, her eye peeked inwards to check the state of the injured boy.
Kai seemed to be sound asleep, he was tucked under a warm and comfortable blanket as it wrapped around his entire body. His face was turned to the other side, with only his overgrown, black hair visible.
Tressa decided against disturbing her recuperating son, she continued to smile as she soundlessly closed the door. Click.
The black haired youth turned his head ever so quietly, his eyes still shut, as if he were really asleep, eventually the eyelids of his right eye slowly parted to reveal the status of the door to him.
It was shut, the danger had passed, he was safe to continue.
As the boy picked himself up to sit on the bed, beads of sweat revealed themselves as they streamed down his face. In fact, there was sweat all over his body.
He breathed a deep sigh of relief, but soon he tightly shut his eyes with furrowed eyebrows. He placed his hands over his mouth and let out muffled sounds of agony. "Arghhhhhh…"
His rough breathing continued as he let out small groans. Over the past few weeks, as per the order of his caring but stern mother, he had focused himself on a swift recovery.
However, his recovery solely focused on revitalising his damaged meridians, this matter had nothing to do with the rest of his body. Unfortunately, he could not explain this predicament without addressing the nature of the chant Theodan had gifted him. Moreover, he wasn't sure she would understand even if he were able to explain the situation.
The boy had finally begun to resonate with the world energy around him, and the excitement that came with such a realisation certainly got the better of him. He soon began to practice assimilation.
A truly painful process, pain that permeated through his skin, muscles and finally into his bones, slowly transforming parts of them to dust and then rebuilding them.
Perhaps, the most realistic method to pursue such a pained process was to remain in bed all day, a liberty Kai couldn't afford under normal circumstances.
So the enthusiastic young boy began to focus himself on refining as soon as his body showed signs of pain free movements. But, despite knowing of the dangers of refining Kai had truly underestimated it.
Initially, he decided to hold of on the idea. But, soon boredom set in, with an idle mind, his worries and anxiousness only worsened. Eventually, he could not keep himself from training, leading to the current situation.
Kai could still feel the faint sliver of spiritual energy that spun like an extremely thin thread within his abdomen. He was truly fascinated by it's existence, and would constantly observe it when he had the time. It was odd that it was so faint that he'd still fail to detect it at times.
He wanted to try channeling it similarly to the immortals he'd heard tales of. But there was no such reaction no matter what he attempted.
Other times, he would focus on assimilating, he'd feel faint traces of world energy around him slowly permeate his body over hours of practice, eventually they'd travel deeper and deeper within, till they finally reached the foundation, his bones.
However, if he were to stop even for a second, the whole process would be interrupted and any progress of the current session would be lost.
He had to maintain it constantly for a few hours before he could achieve a sliver of permanent progress.
After finally completing another arduous session of refinement, a tired and exhausted Kai stepped out of bed.
He reached for a wooden stick near his bed side, which he often used as a walking stick to support himself, his legs still hadn't completely recovered to their original capacity. Moreover, there was always the remnant pain of refinement, so it was more convenient to stay this way till he acclimatised to it.
Kai limped to the hall of his house where he met Tressa, who was sitting and reading through one of Kai's old books.
She calmly placed the book down and turned to her son. Upon seeing the tired Kai, her expression strained just a bit.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say you look more tired than when you went to bed last night."
Kai let out a dry chuckle which was coupled with a hint of nervousness. "It's just when I rest… even slight movements can cause my body to feel pain, which leads to a very broken sleep… So, I retain my tiredness even after I wake up."
He shrugged his shoulders as he seated himself at the table. He picked a few pieces of fruit and gnawed at them, waiting for his mother's suspicious expression to disappear.
Tressa stared at her son for a few moments before finally letting go of the matter. "I hope you feel upto walking a bit, it's time to visit them." Her expression fell ever so slightly at the mention of her parents.
"Oh… Of course. I'll be with you mother." Although he spoke nonchalantly, Kai had a reassuring smile.
As the sun began to set, the gentle breeze of the approaching winter grew and as did the cold that followed.
Near the village a fairly large cemetery area stood, where the tombstones were randomly arranged. Some were nicked, others had a slight moss growing over the stones, most were still maintained well.
The dead were buried here with great care for the most part. But, the still run down state of the place reflected the lack of amenities afforded by the peasants.
Two silhouettes walked through the breezy evening as they entered the cemetery. There weren't many people around, it was quiet atmosphere.
Kai was wearing a small rough overcoat, he was still limping as he supported himself over the makeshift walking stick. Tressa walked besides him as they approached a slightly secluded section of the graveyard.
Tressa bent down as she placed the flowers she had brought over the two graveyards that lay side to side. She remained kneeling as she brought her hands together, "oh Lord Rivier protect the souls that dwell in your domain, for we await our reunion."
Kai stood behind his mother, he too cupped his hands as he repeated the words with a serious expression.
"I wish your grandfather could witness your growth, there were only two things that man ever wanted, to return to Drusa, and the birth of his grandchild." Tressa smiled weakly as she rose from the ground.
Two gravestones lay side to side, 'Rupert Elias' and 'Lucia Elias'. The gravestones had been very well maintained, contrastingly standing out among the hundreds of gravestones that lay in varying conditions around them.
"Why did your father want to return to Drusa?" Kai asked as he continued to look onto the motionless gravestones.
"Rupert Elias, the man could move mountains for his family… He used to tell me stories when I was a child, stories of the Drusa, the empire that dominates this entire continent, an Empire even Kings won't stand up against. An Empire so vast that even he wasn't aware of what lay past a few cities." Tressa smiled as she reminisced in her childhood.
"The Elias House was always a poor one, but we've had our chances of fortune as well. I heard once upon a time we happened to gain the status of Lesser Lords, but it was short-lived. I don't know what transpired in the Empire for the Elias house to fall, but there was nothing left for us there…
Father was young at the time, no older than you. After our house fell, it wasn't safe for us to live in the Empire anymore. My grandfather chose to save his family and fled the Empire, the rest resulted in where we are. Once father acclimatised to Leventis, everything felt natural to him, this place he always commented, was the more peaceful one… Hearing him say that with an expression of relief… it-it always put my heart at ease." Tressa spoke as her eyes reflected a sharp glisten, soon a few tears trickled over her cheeks.
She carefully wiped away at them. Kai couldn't see her face, but he knew his mother still mourned. He wouldn't be any better than her. For now he stood silently waiting for the moment to end.
"Your grandfather always embodied love and care over power. He was actually a talented swordsman, and even showed great merit in the little refinement he achieved.
But it was through him I learnt, that it isn't worth digressing in the desire for power when all that you will achieve with that power is hate and death. Rather do it for the sake and only the sake of those you love. That is your responsibility…"
Tressa turned around as she spoke only to see an annoyed expression on her son.
He was annoyed, but he couldn't look his mother in the eyes, he inferred what she was hinting at. Kai kept looking to his right as if something held his attention, but he spoke as if he were still facing his mother.
"I-I understand."
Tressa smiled again, but now her smile held a strong sense of warmth to it as she kindly looked at her son. "This wasn't a lecture, so you can stop with the act. I only want you to know when to stop, if not for yourself then for the people who need you. As long as you understand your limits, I have nothing to worry about…"
Tressa walked past Kai as she proceeded to the exit.
"I know you'll break through them in your own time, and I'll be there cheering you on."
Kai smiled with a sense of embarrassment. If only she knew what he'd been upto since he was put on temporary recuperation, she wouldn't be so nonchalant. But, he was glad that in her own way his mother supported him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone