Spirit Blade

"Yes… the cost of this power was my freedom…" the man said with a sad look. "As they say… with great power comes great responsibility…" he chuckled and regained his calm composure.

"But I don't get it, why were you trapped here? Is there some kind of mystery attached to this place?" Asked Daniel with a puzzled look flashing across his face.

"Exactly, there's a treasure hidden within this area. It is the same treasure that I came here for, but as you already know, I miserably failed. Now, I'm not even interested in the treasure as long as I get my freedom back." The old man said desperately.

"Uh-huh… I remember you saying that I could free you from the shackles, what was it about?" Daniel suddenly recalled hearing those words from the old man and curiously asked.

"Yes, I was just about to say that… so, all you have to do is follow what I say." The man said with a serious look.

"Sure, shall we start?" Daniel asked, he was curious to discover what secrets were hidden in this area. Maybe he could even get his hands on it somehow.

The man could easily read Daniel's expression. He could easily see the greed in his eyes. Well, not like it was something new to him. Even he was like this when he first came here.

"Don't worry, I will give you a chance to take the treasure away from this place." He said, putting Daniel at ease.

"Let's start now." The man said. Daniel rolled his sleeves up, waiting for the command. He wasn't sure if he could do it but giving it a try wouldn't cost him anything.

"First step, feel the energy around you… concentration is the key to this step. Close your eyes, forget about everything that is happening around you, let go of your thoughts, and keep your mind empty." The man said with a calm, serious look on his face. He explained the step in detail to Daniel.

"Alright… I will try." Daniel sat cross-legged on the ground, nodding his head. He slowly closed his eyes and tried to feel the "energy" that the man was talking about but to no avail.

He tried once again, failing miserably. He didn't get it, why was it so hard? "Uh… you first have to let go of all your thoughts. Even the thought of feeling the energy itself…" The man guided him, reminding him of one key point.

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes. This time, he tried to forget everything. Soon, he entered a tranquil state. All his dreams and fantasies had disappeared from his mind. Now, only a blank space remained, just like a void.

The old man on the other hand stayed silent. He didn't want to disturb Daniel as he was about to complete the first step. 'Impressive! This boy is talented! If he's trained the right way, he will surely surpass the legends from the older generation!' he thought to himself, amazed by Daniel's talent.

Soon, small blue particles of energy became visible to Daniel, even when his eyes were closed. The energy kept entering and leaving his body, and he could easily see it all.

"Great job! You've completed the first step!" The man shouted, he still couldn't believe that Daniel had completed the first step this soon, but it was nevertheless a good thing.

"Now, onto the second step… you have to gather all of the energy in one place and form an energy blade." He guided Daniel to the second step.

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes once again. This time, feeling the energy around him was as easy as playing with a toy. He focused on the particles of the energy, trying to gather them all in one place. He noticed that the particles were moving when he focused a bit harder, but gathering them all in one place was a difficult task.

10 minutes later, he could finally move a few particles, gathering them all in one place, but it was still not enough. "Think about the shape of a blade in your mind and then try gathering all the energy in one place." The old man instructed.

Daniel didn't respond but he quickly followed what the man said. After a while, he was finally getting somewhere closer to the shape of a blade. It was only half of the blade, but it was still counted as progress.

"That's it! Keep focusing!" The man shouted, he was getting impatient, seeing Daniel's progress. Freedom was more than anything to any living being. Most of them would prefer death over slavery. The man was the same. He was now immortal and had an immense amount of power, but he was still living a harsh life, being stripped of his freedom.

After half an hour, Daniel was finally able to form a well-shaped energy blade. It was emitting a powerful energy, making it hard for Daniel to handle.

"Now! Let's move on to the third and the last step! You won't be able to hold on for long!" The old man panicked, seeing Daniel's condition.

"First, try to see the invisible shackles around me. When you can see them, you just have to control the spirit blade and shatter the shackles." The man explained in a hurry.

Daniel nodded. He quickly started observing the surroundings, focusing his mind on the shackles. 5 minutes passed but he could barely sense any shackles of energy. He was trying hard but the energy blade was a burden on him, making it nearly impossible to focus.

Another 5 minutes passed, but Daniel was still not able to see the shackles. "Don't worry boy, just keep trying without stopping. We're getting closer." Said the man, boosting Daniel's morale.

Daniel focused harder, and soon, his mind entered a state of tranquility. He could easily sense all of the energy in the entire area. Suddenly, chains made of energy came into his sight. He finally found the invisible shackles. He quickly focused all his energy on the energy blade, trying to move it.

The energy blade started shaking violently before it finally moved. Daniel swiftly sent the blade flying at the shackles with full force. He exhausted all his mental energy doing this. If he couldn't break the shackles now, all his hard work would be wasted.

"Please break!!" Daniel closed his eyes, praying for the shackles to break. The old man became nervous as well. His freedom depended on the energy blade after all.

*crack*

(Author: Hello guys, here's today's chap! Keep supporting like ya all did yesterday! I get encouraged to write more when you guys support the book! Tysm everyone! Keep supporting and help us get past 100 power stones this week! Let's do it!)