Chapter 20: Awakening the Emperor's Core

Though the reality of one's lifespan was sobering, Wuzhi wasn't all that bothered by it. For the young scholar, living a life that was interesting was far more important than living a life that was long.

He would rather spend every second of his life in relentless pursuit of his goals than spend an eternity in lull.

Besides, if one were to go by the words of Wuzhi's teacher, the young scholar was prophesized to not experience the light of dawn in less than three years! Looking at the situation from that lens, it was indeed not bad to live a mortal life.

Returning to the scene in the carriage.

Wuzhi watched with amusement as the young emperor sat all huff. He then quietly shook his head and proposed to do something that would interest and excite the young emperor's mood.

"Your Majesty, since the road to the capital is long, how about we awaken your Core?" said Wuzhi.

His words immediately injected life into the boy emperor as he started bouncing with excitement once again. "Really! Really!? Yes! Of course! Let's do it!!"

While finding his actions amusing, Wuzhi soon adopted a serious demeanour and evenly spoke. "To awaken one's Core is both simple and difficult; the simplicity lies in the fact that the Core is an organ that a person is born with, thus making them intimately familiar to its presence."

"The difficulty lies in the fact that this organ is currently slumbering within your majesty's body. To rouse it would require intense focus and concentration."

"Your Majesty should not lose concentration or fall asleep during the process for the Core must be awakened in one fell swoop. Do not fret, for I will be beside your majesty, every step of the way."

Wearing a worried expression, Alexandros asked. "Will it process hurt?"

"A person must not fear pain, your majesty. For pain is the mother of learning," Wuzhi advised.

The young emperor gritted his teeth. A resolute light shone within his eyes as he said. "Alright! What can a little pain do in the face of the noble blood of my Centinni Family!" Facing Wuzhi, he asked, "How do I begin, Wuzhi?"

Smiling with a hint of approval, Wuzhi guided. "Your Majesty must first seat yourself in a comfortable position. You must then close your eyes and dampen your outward senses."

The young emperor promptly obeyed and followed his instruction. After seating himself comfortably, he proceeded to close his eyes and tried to reduce his awareness of his surroundings.

However, the human brain is a fickle thing; the less it is stimulated, the more it will seek stimulation. Forcing your eyes closed will only prompt the brain to hear finer sounds and feel subtler feelings.

Wuzhi, however, had prepared for this. The argent eyes beneath his shadowy visage flashed with light as numerous mysterious characters appeared and disappeared inside his vision.

A mystical and profound feeling settled within the royal carriage as Wuzhi's fingers danced; drawing mysterious patterns in the air.

With a deep, resounding voice, he began speaking. "Listen to my words and only to my words. You are being enveloped by darkness. A deep, suffocating darkness. Voices tease at your ears as sounds flee farther and farther away…"

Wuzhi's voice slowly became longer and more drawn out.

"…you will the touch of air but soon, it leaves you. You feel the touch of fabric… but soon, it leaves you. Your skin becomes like that of a rock; unfeeling and unchanging."

An invisible mystical energy, born from heaven and earth, settled and enveloped the young emperor's body under Wuzhi's guidance. Alexandros' previously still face, rapidly puckered before becoming still once again.

The boy emperor soon stopped breathing, becoming as still as a rock!

Wuzhi, however, did not look bothered by this. His silken fingers continued to draw at the air as his lips continued to mystically chant. The young scholar's voice seemed to have a magnetic pull embedded into it as his words caused one to forget space, time, and even self!

"Extend yourself. Search within. Find the virgin seed of your future; the first step of your journey; the budding sense of your self; the Core of your being…"

"Deeper and deeper and deeper. Follow the guidance of my voice. Three steps down and seven spaces under…"

---

Alexandros did not know when he fell asleep. However, he was extremely certain that he did.

'When did I fall asleep?' he wondered to himself. Then, a sudden feeling of nervousness prodded at his heart as he remembered. 'Oh, right! I remember trying to awaken my Core with Wuzhi!'

'Oh, no!' Immediately, Alexandros realised his mistake. 'Did I accidently fall asleep? Dammit! I wanted to awaken my Core in a single go and surprise Wuzhi.'

'Is he going to be disappointed towards me now? Will he stop being my teacher after finding me untalented!?'

Anxiety and despair enveloped his thoughts as a rampant feeling of hopelessness assaulted his heart.

'If Wuzhi leaves me, I will once again return to being that weak, naïve boy waiting for his death. I will return to being nothing but a lamb awaiting to be slaughtered!'

'I will have failed to find my elder sister!'

'I will have failed to avenge my father!'

'I will have failed to protect my people!'

'I will have failed to reclaim my motherland!'

'I will have failed. I will have failed. I will have failed. I will have failed. I will have failed.'

'Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure. Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.Iamafailure.'

Just as Alexandros' sense of self was about to collapse under an ever-spiralling assault of depression, an angelic voice, akin to the first light of dawn, broke into his darkness and filled him with strength.

"Follow my voice and only my voice. Three steps down and seven spaces under…"

If salvation existed, Alexandros believed this to be it.

Subconsciously, he started following the instruction of this voice. The darkness enveloping him grew fainter and fainter, and the strength filling his 'self' grew stronger.

Alexandros soon found himself being enveloped by the most comfortable warmth that he had ever felt. A faint thought told him that this was how he had felt when he was inside his mother's womb. Finding his surroundings too comfortable, Alexandros almost wanted to succumb to this warmth forever.

However, he did not.

He had vowed to never forget the words of his saviour.

He had vowed never to return to being that worthless piece of dung that hid powerlessly as he watched his beloved father be slaughtered by the traitors.

Alexandros refused to live hopelessly in fear. No more would be live muddled, fearing the dangers that tomorrow would bring.

He was no longer lost. He was no longer aimless. He was no longer living to die.

Fear still occupied a portion of his heart but that was fine. Nobody outgrew their fear in a single attempt. However, he would no longer allow his fear to rule him.

Was it so easy to not succumb to fear? Of course not. However, Alexandros was not worried. For he was no longer alone.

He had his saviour; his teacher; his… friend.

Alexandros Centinni the Twelfth had Wuzhi. And that, was enough.

The final shreds of darkness surrounding Alexandros finally shattered. Replacing it, was the most resplendent showing of lights that he had ever seen!

If 'absolute beauty' existed, Alexandros was certain that this scene before him was it. He could not… he dared not imagine a scene that could be even more beautiful than this sight.

Alexandros remained mesmerised by the sight as his body rapidly grew lighter and floated to the top. His perception of his beautiful world grew fainter as the vulgar senses of the outside world began pouring in.

And before he knew it, the young emperor had returned to the royal carriage. His beautiful eyes snapped open as he surveyed around, feeling a sense of loss and confusion.

"You have awoken sooner than I thought, your majesty." A familiar voice struck his ears causing him to snap his head in its direction.

And there, sitting in front of him, Alexandros saw his teacher wearing a warm smile while gazing at him with respect and admiration. "Congratulations on stepping into the world of cultivation, your majesty. Your servant feels honoured to be present during this historical moment."

Once again, Alexandros confronted his teacher's long-winded form of speaking. It made him wonder whether this was Wuzhi's method of teasing him or if he really did speak like this all the time.

The first possibility made him feel pouty, feeling his emperor's prestige being trampled. The second possibility made him subtly shiver; he would have to deal with this tiring form of speech for the rest of his life.

Just as Alexandros was planning on ways to deal with this tiresome possibility, he saw a handkerchief being extended towards him.

Gazing up at his teacher with confusion, he was met with a warm smile. "Do wipe your face, your majesty," said his teacher, his tone as even as ever. "Tears of joy are spilling from your eyes."

Only then did Alexandros feel the wetness on his cheeks. He instantly realised; he was crying.

Feeling a red-hot embarrassment within, he quickly received the handkerchief and began drying his eyes. He did his face within his palms, not wanting to show his embarrassing display to his teacher.

His teacher had called his tears, 'tears of joy.' However, only Alexandros knew that his tears were shed, not out of joy, but out of gratefulness.

'Teacher, thank you for accepting this worthless me as your ward. You have saved me.'

'I'm truly, truly grateful to you.'