Perfect Chance

....Finding himself on the outskirts amongst the trees in a makeshift house which looked to be cradled by the mountain landscape.

For whatever it's worth he made it his place of rest as he waited out his time. As it was far enough away and well hidden from prying eyes.

But even in his final hour he still put up with hardship whilst a cold breeze came in through the uneven planks.

Whilst he sat there shivering, gritting his teeth waiting for the cold to bite him... Waiting for anything, just to take him...

He slowly started resting in a meditative position, as his eyes closed as he went off to dream.

...

The daylight fell and the creature howled, waking the old man up. He sighed seeing he was still in this body.

But nonetheless it was a matter of time, so he got up, as his bones crackled awake.

And stepped out to the beautiful moonlight that radiated it's glow across the floors and walls of the little forest. He sighed, shaking his head and turned back to the hut.

Only to spot a scruffy looking boy, walking towards him, which happens to be from the same path he took.

The child saw him and was put on edge at the sight of him but kept on his path, reaching the hut he dropped a bag against the wall.

Breathing heavily he calmed and said "Senior w-what are you doing outside my house" the boy said trying to act tough.

Glancing back at the house and then back to the boy the old man asked "How old are you child?"

Quickly putting his back up at the odd question he said "why should I tell you?"

"No reason, just wanted to give you praise for a good job, for being as young as I'm guessing you are"

With an odd look the boy said "Well... thanks old man" not expecting such a response unknowingly lowered his guard. Ever so slightly...

Before the child could continue the man said "I hope you don't mind I took rest in your cabin for a while"

The boy sighed as he dragged the bag to his door then looked back at the man "It's fine"

The old man watched the boy enter the hut expecting to be left out so he was about to begin on his journey.

When he heard the boy call out for him to come on in, so he graciously thanked the boy and entered.

...

The boy lit a small fire in the corner as the old man sat on the floor with his legs folded, observing the boy.

With his small hand pulling some veggies and uncut meat from the bag, to be tossed into the boiling pot.

Turning around he moved to his bed and gazed deeply into the old man's eye. "So what brings you so far into Kreen's countryside?"

Astonished at what the kid said he rubbed his chin "I had no idea I was in the Kreen's territory" as he continued thinking about how he possibly traveled so far.

The boy gave the old man a deadpan expression "Hey, I find that hard to believe"

The old man just shrugged his shoulders and asked something else "May I ask for your name?"

Whilst he was up and stirring the pot he said "My mother called me Victor" whilst he reminisced on that thought.

The old man looked sombre as he replied to the boy "I'm sorry for you lose Victor..." as he paused not knowing how to put forward the rest of his sentence.

However the boy quickly tried to brush off his pain "Don't worry about it... It was a long time ago."

Sucking in a short breath the old man brought up some courage "Victor, I hope you would listen to an old man's offer"

Taking a quick break as he didn't realize it would be so hard to tell someone and a young boy at that.

He cleared his thoughts and continued "Would you be willing to learn, from me how to cultivate?"

The boy looked at him like some idiot "That's impossible... Only very few people can learn to cultivate"

Shaking his head "Trust me, there is a way, let me guide you..."

...

The old man took his time, guiding the boy, telling him how to feel the Qi within the air, and this task took about a day and a half.

Which was about average for most mortal born children.

Which did make the old man smile thinking that he would at least be able to give the child a good start at life.

Victor coming out of his stupor and went straight to looking around the room almost like he was seeing the world in a new light.

So with a smile the old man said "They call this the awakening, the first steps into immortally"

Victor focused back after hearing him and said "Is this how cultivators see the world?"

With an unfocused smile at Victor and telling him it wears off quicker the weaker a person's realm is.

The old man waited for Victor's awakening to wear off and continued the class.

"Now Victor, your next step is to hold a breath and send the Qi throughout your body, making sure once it's in your body it doesn't leave"

Victor gave him a vigorous nod and went back to meditating.

...

A day passed as Victor's face slowly contoured more and more out of anger for being unable to keep the energy within his body.

It always happens that when he breathed out, the Qi would leave with the air from his lung.

Seeing this and wanting to guide him the old man said "Picture it... Understand the flow... Let it travel throughout your body... And make it understand you're the one in control"

Victor listened trying to make sense of what he said so he focused on each individual phrase.

First was to 'Picture it' as he thought about what there was to picture.

The process... Taking in QI... Giving it to the body and keeping it there.

Next...

'Understand the flow...' Feeling the air flow down his neck filling his lungs... Useful air gets taken around the body... unneeded air gets dispelled...

'Let it travel throughout your body' Qi and air are connected...

'You're in control' Only keep the Qi...

Victor's face calmed as his body relaxed now having a better grasp of what he needed to do.

He slowly closed off his body from the world as his mind only focused on the path where his air flowed and mapped out those paths.

Feeling ever twist and turn as blood pulsed with every heart beat pushed it along...

...

As time went by he tried memorizing his body's layout but he knew this would take too long.

Stopped for now he went to ask the old man a question "Is there a way to map out my paths quicker?"

The old man shook his head in disbelief, he was so stupid to leave out such important information, so he quickly played it off "No, because you only need to find your Spirit Root and that can only be left up to you"

Victor looked at him intently "What do you mean?" he said as he waited like a child expecting candy.

Sighing because it was hard to explain what he only read up in books "Well it seems that everybody is born with one or more and if you looked in two different people their Spirit Roots would be in completely two different places compared to one another..."

Taking a break to catch a breath he observed Victor's reaction "Try looking outside your flow paths for a bit because that's where it might be"

Quickly nodding his head Victor went back into a meditative state whilst the old man watched on.

...

It wouldn't take long until Victor woke stating he found it and the old man quickly stopped Victor from saying any more.

"You should keep stuff like that a secret... Never tell anyone where or how many you have... Ok" Pointing at him like a grandfather would.

Victor nodded but didn't understand why and never got a chance to ask when the old man moved the topic elsewhere "Ok now form a bridge between your Spirit Root and your main Flow Paths"

Before Victor went back in he asked "How would I know if it worked?"

With a nod, thinking that, that was a good question, the old man went into his memories to find a suitable answer "Only Qi can enter a Spirit Root... So it will glow if you're doing it right"

Nodding, Victor didn't say more and went back to concentrating.

...

Sunset, whilst the moon rose he looked outside from one of the big holes in the ceiling.

Looking at the black shadows on the moon's surface he sighed as he looked back at the child.

He started to hope that within the next couple of days, he would be able to teach the boy as much as possible.

A few minutes passed when all of a sudden the boy's skin glowed faintly gold. When a golden tendril snuck out of the boy and snaked it's way towards the old man.

Fearful for the boys safety and the unknown, he tried to grab the tendril when it coiled around his wrist and cut into his hand disappearing from sight.

[DING...]

[...]

[NAME- Mason Cole]