Devil's cage (1)

Ed had returned to his cave after talking with Ku Nam for long. He felt that even though he was here to gain fighting experience and saw the astral roots as a good training ground, he still wanted to explore the astral roots. He couldn't care less for a contemplation technique, but a high-grade martial skill, better, a heaven-grade one would be good for him. Even though he knew this was impossible, he still hoped. Also, the possibility of getting a good weapon was high. He needed something so that he could use more of the special energy flowing through him. 

"Let's look into these rings first."

Ed turned his attention to the spatial rings he had taken from those he had killed back at the battle field. Ed took out the body inscriptions he had bought and activated them. The symbols glowed hot, sealing into his blood before cooling into a dark tattoo on his arm. 

After doing this several times, he started looking through the spatial rings. Most of them caused no problem allowing him access to the wealth, weapons, healing pills and martial skills of its former owners. But every now and then, he stumbled upon spatial rings that were protected by killing intents of masters. These intents would attack him, trying to harm his body and sometimes mind. 

The inscriptions did their jobs well, after which they faded off his skin. This was possible because these masters were not considered strong, if they were masters at all. Most were just in the peak spirit awakening or early spirit merging. 

But, Ed's luck halted upon one spatial ring. The moment he opened it, a mental power struck him. Ed determined that the owner of this power must be at least a peak spirit awareness master. This was rare. Most who cultivated mental strength were even rarer than those who cultivated physical strength. Mental strength was key for those who wished to become alchemists, inscription masters or spatial cultivators. All these things were hard paths, many avoided them. For one to have such mental strength at the level of a spirit awareness master, the person must be much stronger. Ed did not have the time to wonder how such a spatial ring could have gotten into his hands or the hands of those he had killed. He was in mortal danger! 

The consequences of looking into this ring was not a kind of thing Ed was prepared for. He did not know how to protect his mind from such an attack! 

Pain. 

He felt a tear speed through his skull and a ringing pierce his ears and crash into his blood. He fell to the floor holding his head steady. He felt as though his brain was being wrung like a sponge. 

Fear. 

Images flashed through his head, continuing so long he thought it went on for years; when it had been no more than a few breaths since he looked into the spatial ring. The blood coursing through his veins paused for a second and flowed in the opposite direction, causing him to bleed from all pores on his skin. His mind stood on the edge of getting lost in those images. He saw a cycle of war, death, and more death. The images of wars were accompanied by gushing stenches of blood. It was numbing. When he started getting used to it, images changed to that of his family back in his world. His father who had returned home after so long and his mother die of worry, waiting for him to come home. 

Gone. Everybody is gone. The pain increased a thousand fold, causing him to let loose a raw scream. Time seemed to loose meaning. Slowly, he forgot all faces. His master, his parents, his home. He was lost. He looked around and all he saw was mist. Fear pulsed through his veins. The mist was strong. He could not see left from right. This to him, was much worse than watching his parents die. 

Despair. 

Energy, strength, the will to go on; drained from his being. He felt the need to slip into the mist forever. Outside, back in his cave, he had almost bled out. At that moment, he felt strands of hair between his fingers. He looked up into beautiful brown eyes. A familiar gentle smile graced his eyes. 

"Your highness, wake up." a soft soothing voice left her lips. This sent a jolt through him, cracking through the illusion and his eyes opened in his cave. He found himself sprawled in his own blood, weak on his cave floor. His breathing was shallow, he felt himself close to death's door. 

At the same time, outside the demon lands, far inside a large sect locked out from the rest of the world, in a cave on top a mountain, an old man's eyes sprang open. 

"Who? Someone actually broke through my mental cage?" the man asked in wonder. 

"Has one of my disciples been killed?" he frowned. 

Outside his cave, a cultivator stood guard. He suddenly received a mental message from the old man. 

"Enter." the message said and he froze. Elder is out of his seclusion? He wondered. He bowed as the cave opened allowing him to enter. 

"Elder Oyong." the cultivator greeted with a bow. 

"Has any of my disciples' life stone broken?" Elder Oyong asked. 

"No. I would have been notified. Is something the matter?"

"What about those that died during the revolt? Has all their spatial rings been retrieved?"

"All but Senior disciple Inung." the cultivator answered, completely confused. Elder Oyong frowned. 

"My mental cage was broken from the demon lands. Who is it? That person is now in possession of our sect's high grade spatial martial skill, devil's cage." Elder Oyong said dangerously. 

"Should I report to the sect?" the cultivator asked. 

"No. I will go to the demon lands and bring it back myself." Elder Oyong said.