2 A Mother's Warmth

Cold darkness enveloped throughout the youth's body.

"Hrm…" He was unable to move. Not an inch, nor a mile.

"Am I… a baby now? Is that why I can't move?" The youth tried to ponder why he was unable to move, much less put up a struggle.

He tossed and turned. He wiggled and jiggled. He yelled and shout. But, for some reason, he couldn't even move a muscle. He couldn't scream. He couldn't hear. The only sense he was able to perceive was touch. All he felt around him was a soft, yet dense feeling, almost as if he were buried.

"Have I been buried by my father? Am I in a casket and I've been drugged?" Again, different thoughts welled up inside of the youth, only to be filled with distress and anxiety. The walls were thick all around him. So thick he felt very claustrophobic.

Strangely enough, he was still able to breathe. He sensed the air around him, despite feeling as if he were underground, and soaked it in. He felt a cool and refreshing feeling as he breathed, flowing through his entire body, feeling as if he were born anew. This feeling also brought about cleanliness and strength surged throughout his entire body.

"Odd," he thought. "I've been drugged and thrown in a casket. Is the drug taking effect now that my brain is active, causing me to become addicted to this feeling, or am I hallucinating?" He began to feel his stomach, empty, hurting and yearning for something to eat as a sigh escaped his mouth. "My hunger is unaffected by this drug. Very unfortunate."

Just then, a huge explosion erupted, causing him to feel the shockwave. The force of the explosion shifted the thick walls surrounding him, turning his body over slightly. He did not feel uncomfortable, but when the ooze started to drip down from the walls, he felt his body clutching onto it and sucking in energy automatically.

All around him there was just an abundance of energy, so much that he felt that he would drown in it. But, despite that, he felt that this energy was a good thing. Calmly, he began to hone in on the energy around him and tried to "feel" something from it.

The energy was sucked into his body and his hunger was satiated even further. No longer did he feel any pangs of hunger. He continued to sit in this energy and draw it in. He knew that if he bit more than he could chew, he would never be able to swallow. Taking caution so as to not die again, he carefully picked out how much he could absorb.

What felt like a century of this on and off feeling of absorbing energy, he felt as if his body wanted more.

"Is this some sort of drug? Am I becoming addicted so I can perform as a lab rat?" A third time, absurd thoughts appeared in his mind as he still had no idea what was going on.

Soon, his body began to convulse, twisting and aching, but a feeling of growth emerged. He hated the sensation but knew that it would not stop unless his body fully transformed. Concentrating his thoughts solely for the sake of his alteration he felt an extension of himself grasping the surrounding walls and diving deeper into them, pushing aside anything that stood in its way.

"Graahh…" He let out a cry of relief as the last bit of his pains have finally subsided. Nothing felt different aside from the fact that he now had an extra bit of himself hanging inside of a wall, but his hunger steadily grew.

Only able to chew on the leftover energy that was surrounding him as well as the scrumptious air that resided, was he able to press on.

Once again, another explosion occurred, only this time it was a bit more controlled, almost like a mother feeding her newborn child. A warm, yet cold feeling welled up inside of him. The thought of a mother's touch resounded in his heart and he felt at ease.

This cycle, of absorbing energy and questioning the life that he "lived" kept going on. A cycle of endless growth.

…

The Moral Timere Sect

A gallant sect that had stood tall for many generations was beginning to decline. Unaware of this fact, the cultivators there still practiced, for only the top was able to know of this.

Inside of a room, eight elders sat with grim looks on all of their faces. The table was circular, the sect head owning a table to himself began to speak. His words once held power, wisdom, and bravery, but now, when he spoke his charisma waned and so did his power.

"The future now is grim. We know not of when our enemies will attack, but we must nurture our young to become strong enough to face the threat when the time comes. My son, he must be trained to the highest degree. As young as he is, it is still yet to be determined if he is a genius with heavenly abilities. My daughter on the other hand…" An elder cut him off.

"Are you trying to say that none of us are able to stand in your position?" The sect head nodded.

"If you are trying to say that standing here is easy, then prove it with your actions. My bloodline for generations has produced many geniuses, my son shall be no exception, not even my daughter. However, she neglects training and spends most of her time at the Mountains of Arbor, in hopes to find what her mother sought out."

Another elder's interest was piqued. "What is it she covets?"

A deep expression appeared on the sect head's face. "That is… it started when she left…"

…

The Mountains of Arbor

Two figures were training, both women in light-colored training uniforms. The two were alike in beauty, long hair and impressive figures, most definitely cut above the rest. They both had blue eyes like the water, but with an electric kick in them. It could be said the two were twins, if not for the large gap in age. The older woman appeared to be teaching the younger one.

"Yaila, you must flow like the river below. Your movements must be fluid, but strong like the mountains, and enough to move a lotus."

The older woman was performing a fighting style, a popular one for girls as when you fight, it feels as if you're fighting like a lotus floating down a river. Hence the name, "The Floating Lotus."

"Yes, mother!" The young woman replied earnestly.

"Remember, the harder you train, the more you can visit this place as you like! Remember, it's your mother's favorite location, so don't soil it!" She smiled playfully.

The two practiced for a while until it was time for lunch. The mother produced a basket filled with food from her storage ring, a mystical device created by master blacksmiths that could store many items within.

"Yaila," the mother began. "Others look down on you because you don't train. Don't forget, you are the daughter of the sect head. You must not bring shame to the sect by behaving this way."

The daughter looked away, off into the distance. The trees surrounding them were very tall, acting as a shield from onlookers. Their current location was on the shore of a lake, abundant in spirit energy and herbs. A truly beautiful and mystifying place.

"I know you feel a bit unambitious, but there must be something out there that you might be able to grasp onto. All you have to do is look." Her sweet motherly smile only enhanced her already beautiful face.

Yaila's mother suddenly looked a bit sorrowful. "I have something to tell you. It's very important." The young maiden looked at her mother in the eyes.

"I do not have much time left in this world. I have a lot of things that I want to teach you, but unfortunately, there is only a little bit left that I can pass down." Yaila looked at her mother in shock.

"Mother… please don't say such things to get me to train. I know it's all a ruse that my father told you to do." At this response, her mother looked hurt.

"Then… let me teach you this." Getting up, she took out a small seed from her storage ring. It looked like a slightly smaller soybean.

"What do you intend to do with that?" Puzzled, the girl looked on.

"Soon, it will be time to plant this seed. When that time comes, something will appear on this lake. Please do this for me." She held her daughter's hand and placed the seed in, soon closing her fist.

"You… are you truly going to…" She choked.

"Unfortunately, my physical condition seems to be getting worse. Not even a master physician can help me now. Yaila," saying her name with a bit more emotion. "Please, fulfill this last wish of mine." Tears began to slowly drip down her face. Yaila looked up at her mother, her eyes beginning to turn red as well.

The two embraced each other, and for a while, nothing was said. Only the sounds of the natural world surrounded them as they embraced each other.

…

A few days later.

"Mother!" Rushing to Yaila's mother's room, the elders were outside of her room. "Is she…?" Yaila looked up to the elders with hopeful eyes.

The elders turned their heads in sorrow when one of them stepped forward. "I think… it is best for you to see yourself…" Yaila's eyes began to tear.

She walked up to the door, her hand feeling the cold handle. "Is this what she'll feel like?" Shaking her head, she dispelled such thoughts immediately. "No, she's okay! She has to be…" Slowly turning the knob, as if one slip would cause the entire building to crumble, she began to walk in.

Seeing her father sitting on the bed by her mother's side, Yaila started to walk slowly. After a few steps, she sped up, increasing her speed to reach her mother.

"Yaila…" her father sounded devastated. Yaila's mother turned toward the newcomer walking into the room.

"Yai… la…" her voice was ragged and just saying her name sapped a large portion of her strength.

"Mother… don't say any more! I can't bear to watch you suffer like this…" She clutched her mother's hand softly, but just enough to feel that her mother's warmth was leaving her.

Smiling, she asked, "Has… has anything happened…? The promise…" Shaking her head, she looked back at her mother.

"No, nothing has happened, yet. I will make sure to fulfill it—!" Her mother's river-like eyes began to close.

"That… thank…" Yaila's mother stopped moving.

"Mother? Mother?!" Tears streamed down Yaila's face. "Please, mother! Answer me!" Her father looked crestfallen and gave his daughter a tight hug.

The cries rang throughout the night. Everyone in the sect felt a forlorn breeze that day.

…

Present Day, The Mountains of Arbor

A young lady who couldn't be more than 19 years old was scouring the entire mountain, searching for the lake that one day. The place where spirit herbs were flourishing, the lake calming, and the trees protecting.

The young lady was none other than Yaila. Rushing through the mountains, she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings as a very light rumble shook the mountain causing her to slip down a steep and muddy hill. Mist permeated throughout the area, leaving no place untouched whilst a familiar feeling dawned on her.

"Have I finally found it?" Getting up, she wandered into the mist, getting thicker and thicker until she began to feel a rumble in the ground, much stronger than the one previously.

Falling to her knees, she crawled forth and burst into a clearing with spirit herbs, large trees as if they protected the area, and an island in the middle of the lake.

Looking beyond in awe, Yaila watched as the island seemed to grow out of the lake itself, almost as if it were the missing piece of the puzzle. The water vibrated violently, spilling out of the lake as the landmass that emerged from it was still coming out.

And then, the rumbling stopped. The lake now obtained an island in the middle of it. Or was it a lake? The water that was once there spilled everywhere, even getting onto Yaila who was a ways away. What should have been the lake, now only held water surrounding the island, the distance from shore to shore was about three meters.

Getting up, Yaila walked over to the island. "Mother," she thought. "Is this what you meant?" Taking the seed out of her storage ring, she looked at it with curious eyes. "Who… or what are you?" Taking the seed, she dug a hole in the middle of the island and planted it, tears dripping down her face.

Standing up on the island, Yaila looked up into the sky. "Mother, you may now rest in peace." Choking on her words, she finally managed to get out, "I love you."