Ritual

Ryker looked at the formation in front of him, anxiety hitting him like a wild beast. Even though he's the one who picked the second choice, he is still afraid of what is coming. Especially after his parents told him the other excruciating part of the plan he chose.

"You're ready, Ryker?" Father asked, catching the nervousness that suddenly inflicted on his eldest.

"Probably not, but I'm the one that picks it right? So I'm the one that going to pull it through," he said, confidence appearing on his face as he looked at the formation with renewed determination.

"It's good you can gain your determination. After all, this is something serious, abolishing your current cultivation to rebuild a new one, especially with your current strength," Ryker merely hummed at Father's words before controlling his qi, letting out a powerful force from a small action.

World Source realm. The highest current realm. To think in just 6 years he would achieve the strength equal to the strongest being in the world, allowing him to stand at the top. And now, he going to ruin so he could start over, allowing him to break the limit and achieve an even higher realm.

"Besides, destroying your cultivation is one thing. Splitting your soul to power several clones is another," Father reminded him of another part of the plan.

Truth be told, this part of the plan is the one he's wary of. After all, from every lesson his parents taught, substantial damage to the soul would lead to him becoming, well, a vegetable.

However, he believe the preparation his parents made would allow him to survive. The only thing he needed to do was persevere during the process.

"Oh yeah, Father. Why do I need to create so many clones anyway?" he decided to ask. Previously, his parents avoided the question, but with they already reaching this point, his parents would answer most of his questions, he hoped.

"It is to allow you to practice multiple Cultivation Arts simultaneously," Father replied.

Ryker looked at his father like he had just grown a second head, "Don't you say that one person could only use one Cultivation Art? And can only learn another Cultivation Art if it is similar to the Path from their first Cultivation Art,"

"Yes, but that is for regular Cultivation Art. The Cultivation Art we gave you will allow you to learn and use multiple Cultivation Art with no consequences," his eyes bulged at his father's words.

Silently, he took out the tablet containing the Cultivation Art he practiced, Celestial Energy Art. He had no doubt it was something powerful, after all his parents were powerful, but to allow him to use multiple Cultivation Art. It looked like he still underestimated its potential.

"How do you know about it, Father?" Father laughed at the question. After all, his son had the right to be skeptical about it. However, he should put his son's worry to rest.

"Why. It's because your mother and I practiced multiple Cultivation Art along with Celestial Energy Art," he replied, seeing his son looking at him in shock.

"So we knew it could be done. However, comprehending multiple Cultivation Art will take a long time, one you don't have. Besides, some of the Cultivation Art we going to give you will clash. By having your clones learn and comprehend different Cultivation Art, you can reach the highest mastery level in a short time and with no worries," Father explained.

"So, you have me made 42 clones because you want to give me 42 different Cultivation Art," Ryker deduced, his father nodding.

"Well, let's get this over with," he let out, walking towards the formation with a determined gaze.

Father looked at his eldest with worries. After all, there is no precedent for what is about to be done. Not to mention, the damage from soul-splitting a single time would leave a cultivator in a vulnerable state. Soul-splitting multiple times, the damage done would be unimaginable.

As he watched his son preparing himself, Father decided to steel himself. If his son could prepare himself to undergo tremendous pain, then he should at least prepare himself to heal his son, stopping the formation if things get too dangerous.

As Father started the formation, Ryker felt like his inside going through the world's most horrid meat grinder. He wanted to scream, but no voice came out due to the pain. Father, who watched his son suffering wished to stop the formation but held himself. This is the choice his eldest made and he would see it through.

As Ryker undergoes the excruciating pain, he can feel his cultivation drop to nothing, something he prepared for but still took him by surprise. The pain stopped momentarily before it began once more, this time coming from both his inside and his soul.

Father watched things going with worries. He could see the destroyed cultivation, or more accurately, the energy from destroyed cultivation headed towards his son's now weakened body, one with no cultivation.

No doubt his son going through some serious pain as his weak body forces him to expand his meridian while having no cultivation at all. To put things into perspective, it's like trying to stuff a cupboard into a bottle, an impossible endeavor if not for the formation they prepared.

As he watched the meridian expanded, he looked up to see his son's soul split multiple times. Thankfully, they only need to split it in half once. After that, one half will be split into 42 portions, giving each clone a semblance of life and self-control.

He don't know how long the process took, but for him, it felt like an eternity before finally, the formation stopped, not by his intervention but by the awakening of his son's clones. His son at the center of the formation finally succumbed to the pain and collapse, something he expected to be honest.

He looked at his son with a caring gaze before giving the clone a complicated one.

"Get some rest. When the original wakes up, we will talk about what you going to do," he ordered the clones. Thankfully, they obeyed him, moving away while he brought his son to his room.

-x-

Ryker let out a pained groan, his body feeling like it just got hit by an avalanche, hurricane, and tsunami, at once. He looked at his surroundings, realizing he was back in his room.

"You finally awake," he heard before looking at his mother, the owner of the voice. Behind his mother, Father looked at him with a smile.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked. Father made a two sign with his hands.

"Two days, that's not so bad," he mumbled, one that was heard by his father.

"Not two days. Two months, you have been asleep for two months, Ryker," Father said solemnly.

"What?! That long!" he shouted, almost not believing it if not for his father being the one who told him.

"Yes, the little ones are worried about their oldest for some time now," Mother said, a tear trail that he now sees due to him being fully awake.

Soon, a gaggle of children rushed in, the quintuplet coming in first, followed by the first quartet, with one extra addition in Ilina's arm. The children soon asked questions. He, just like his parents, avoids answering it by giving them the vaguest explanation.

After some time, his parents told his younger siblings to leave the room, for they wished to talk to him alone. While some complained, they followed the request before leaving him with his parent.

"Are you fine? No injuries we unaware of?" Ryker shakes his head at the question.

"I'm probably the one who should be asking you that question," he bluntly said, his parents' figure becoming more illusory as time passed.

"We have to sacrifice some of our remaining energy to ensure you survive. Unfortunately, that made our time grow shorter, probably 2 days from now," Ryker's heart grew heavy at the reminder.

Unfortunately being sad won't solve anything so he decided to take action, "What do you need me to do?"

"Well...."

-x-

Looking at the last of his clone before giving it the last Cultivation Art, he let out a sigh. It felt weird giving to being that is essentially him. Because they, in a really weird way, him, only listen to his order, though the way they acted on said order is up to their discretion.

Having finished his part, he led the clones towards another room, one filled with teleportation formations. Yes, as in multiple teleportation formations. His clones would be sent to different places while he and his siblings get sent to other places.

Speaking of his siblings, they were given the biggest hug possible by Father and Mother, all of them had tears in their eyes, already knowing their parents' fate. They soon walked towards him before giving him a hug before walking towards his youngest siblings, a mere babe of one year old.

They kissed her on her forehead, the baby stirred but soon fell back to sleep, a true miracle. As he entered the formation, he couldn't stop the tears from finally falling.

As the teleportation formations activated, the siblings heard their parent's last words,

"We love you,"