Breaking the Seals

"It's going to hurt." Lord Jiang gave Arran a serious look. "When I remove the seals, Essence will flood your body. It will not be as bad as taking a Realm Opening Pill, but it will be painful."

It was early morning, and Lord Jiang had taken Arran to a distant area of the estate, several miles away from any buildings. Here, the estate's lands more resembled a wilderness than a garden.

Today, Lord Jiang would finally remove the seals he had placed on Arran's Realms half a year earlier. Although the prospect made Arran nervous, part of him was impatient to see how strong he would be once the seals were removed.

"Are there any dangers?" he asked.

"Some," Lord Jiang replied. "By now, your body should be able to handle it, but it will not be easy. There will be pain, and it will last for a while."

"Just how long will it last?" Arran asked, feeling some suspicion at what Lord Jiang would consider a while.

"A number of days," Lord Jiang said.

"That long?" Arran grimaced at the thought of spending days in pain.

Lord Jiang chuckled. "Only the first few days will be bad," he said. "After that, the pain will slowly fade."

Arran nodded.

"The first moments will be the worst," Lord Jiang said. "Once it starts, use the circulation technique to support your body as it adjusts to the Essence flowing from your Realms. After a while, it should become more bearable."

Arran nodded again, mentally bracing himself for what was about to come. He felt some nervousness, but he suppressed his worries. Right now, all he could do was face the matter before him.

"Are you ready?" Lord Jiang asked.

"Do it," Arran said, unwilling to wait any longer.

Lord Jiang reached out with his hand and placed it on Arran's head. He briefly closed his eyes, and then, suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in Arran's body as a vast tide of Essence surged into him.

Gritting his teeth, Arran endured the pain, trying not to scream. He was only partly successful.

Unlike the times he had taken Realm Opening Pills, this time, the rush of Essence was immediate, raging inside his body at full strength in an instant. The pain was overwhelming, and no part of his body was spared. It was as if a hundred thousand needles were being stuck into him at the same time.

As he felt more and more Essence surge into his body, the pain intensified even further, and he was having trouble just staying conscious.

"Use the circulation technique!" Arran could only barely make out Lord Jiang's voice over the storm that raged inside of him, and his pain-riddled mind took some moments to process the words.

He felt a hint of panic as he realized that he had nearly slipped into consciousness. If that happened, he would be unable to prevent the pressure from building up further, in which case he thought he might not wake up.

With a push of effort, he forced himself to perform the circulation technique. At first, he struggled, but slowly he felt the pressure within him reduce, and although the pain did not lessen, focusing his attention on maintaining the circulation technique allowed him to better withstand it.

Eyes closed and unmoving, he gradually managed to concentrate entirely on performing the circulation technique over and over again, closing his mind to any distractions. Endlessly, he circulated the torrent of Essence within him through his body, careful not to let his attention slip for even a moment.

Between the pain that wracked his body and the need to focus all his attention on the technique, he soon lost track of time. There was only the endless deluge of Essence that tortured his body, and the constant need to focus every single bit of his mind and all his willpower on maintaining the circulation technique.

Arran spent the days that followed sitting in the same spot, continuously using the circulation technique to support his body as it slowly adjusted to the power that now flowed inside it. Whenever he stopped using the technique for more than a moment he could quickly feel a pressure rising within him, and he knew that the only thing he could do to stay safe was to maintain the technique.

He had long since lost any sense of time when the tempest within him finally began to subside. The change was almost unnoticeable at first, but gradually, the pain grew less intense, and the pressure within him no longer made him feel as if he could burst apart at any moment.

As the pain lessened, Arran was now able to focus some of his attention on inspecting the changes within him, and he eagerly did so. Eyes closed, he carefully examined his Realms, anxious to see what had changed since his battle against Stormleaf.

He quickly found that his Fire and Wind Realms had grown incomparably stronger than they were in the past. Where they previously were small founts of Essence, now, Essence poured forth from them like water rushing down a waterfall.

Under the constant pressure of that endless stream of Essence, the Essence within him seemed to have changed as well. Before, it had been a thin fog of power that filled his body. Now, it was a mist so thick it was almost liquid.

More time passed, and steadily, Arran's body seemed to adjust further as he constantly maintained the circulation technique. It was as if his body was absorbing part of the power that flowed through him, using it to strengthen itself against the very Essence from which it drew that power.

When the pain had disappeared almost completely, Arran let go of the circulation technique. For a moment he felt the pressure within him rise once more, and he was about to start using the circulation technique again when suddenly, the rise slowed, then came to a halt. At last, it seemed to have stabilized.

Arran spent some moments anxiously waiting to see if something unexpected would happen, ready to take action if needed. But nothing happened, and although the pressure of the Essence within him still felt uncomfortable, he knew that he was no longer in danger.

He finally relaxed, letting out a deep sigh of relief. The sigh turned into a yawn, and moments later, he was asleep.