The Sign From Outside
2 years later
A new day arose, illuminating the entire Barisan continent and its inhabitants. The sound of rustling leaves, accompanied by the silence of the forest, made one's mind feel serene and tranquil. The Everlasting Silent Forest started to unveil the mystery that had always covered it. The forest that swallowed all kinds of life, including mortals, began to expel whatever it contained.
In a secret part of this forest, amidst some mortals and cultivators who had grown comfortable living there, a young man with red hair could be seen hanging upside down from a tree branch. He moved his upper body up and down in a consistent rhythm, sweat rolling down his upper body and face. Even though the young man was only in his early teens, the shape of his body suggested otherwise. His muscular upper body and visible six-pack abs were the result of his hard work.
"497... 498... 499... 500." After the last count, the young man stopped his movement, released his leg grip on the branch, and started to free fall from the tree. Falling from a 30-meter tall tree would surely spell death for a mortal, but not for him. Before he touched the ground, he moved his body in an agile manner and landed safely.
His blue eyes looked at the top of the tree, and he smiled before walking away. Aldrian, still in this secret realm, continued to train and develop at a terrifying speed that would leave others in the dust. His face no longer held the innocence of childhood, instead his handsome, charismatic features made others question if he was really just a 12-year-old boy.
After his parents left, he did not dwell on sadness for too long. He immediately created his own training program based on what his parents had taught him. With exercises and developments he added, coupled with his extraordinary comprehension abilities and the fact that he didn't always need to cultivate like others, he was able to set aside time to develop his own techniques.
After two and a half years, he had risen from the low viscount stage to the high viscount stage. A 12-year-old high viscount was unheard of in the entire history of the Barisan continent. If Aldrian ventured outside, he would either be recruited by masters or killed by envious individuals who couldn't tolerate another competitor.
Aldrian arrived at his home. What used to be filled with the voices of his father and mother was now quiet. Sometimes he still remembered those times and missed those moments. He then sat down for a moment on one of the chairs and began to look at the screen displaying his status.
-------------------------------------
Aldrian Aster
Domain : The secret realm
Age : 12 years
Cultivation : High Viscount
Current energy : 245,280 (+1.2/15m)
Energy needed for the next stage : 270,001
-----------------------------------------
Not much had changed visibly, but Aldrian knew a new function had appeared in the last two years, and that is—
*knock* *knock*
He heard a knock on the door and opened it to find a woman with a tray of food. In front of Aldrian, the screen displayed some information.
-----------------------------------------
Eleine Rivas
Age : 150 years
Race : Human
Cultivation : Middle Earl
Cultivation technique : The Blessing of Rain
Attack techniques : Giant Waves, Water sprout, Water Needle, The Water's Judgment
Defense techniques : Water Wall, Body of Water
Movement techniques : Cloud steps
-----------------------------------------
This new function allowed him to see information about others, which he found very interesting and useful. He looked at the woman in front of him, a beautiful woman with long blue hair and a tall, slender body. Even in a plain brown dress, her beauty was evident.
"I told you, you don't have to deliver food Eleine. I can make my own." Aldrian said.
"No, young master. Even though you are already at the high viscount stage, you'll need more nutrients for a boy your age." answered Eleine.
Aldrian couldn't refuse her good intentions, so he accepted her food with a bitter smile. From the many years they had spent together, Aldrian knew that Eleine was one of his mother's aides and the one who had helped her give birth. Aldrian had talked to her about many things, but she never spoke about his parents' problems or family. It seemed his mother had asked her to stay by his side to help and protect him if necessary.
"They must think it will worry me." he thought.
"Alright, thank you."
"Is there anything I can do for you, young master?"
"Oh no, it's okay. You can return to your house."
"If you need anything, please feel free to call me."
"I will." Aldrian answered.
After Eleine left, Aldrian entered his bedroom to comprehend all the things inside his domain. Although he didn't need to cultivate his energy, enlightenment didn't come by itself. There were many things, like laws and various types of energy, to comprehend within his domain. These ranged from tangible elements like energy to intangible concepts like karma and life and death.
It had become his habit to never waste time, using four days to comprehend energy and sharpen his techniques, and three days to comprehend intangible things. Inside his domain, he felt like a fish in clear water, sensing and seeing everything.
One hour, two hours, three hours he kept comprehending when-
"The image appeared again." Aldrian murmured. In the last two years, the images shown to him had been increasing, and sometimes they even appeared like recordings and most of them were still incomprehensible to him. It felt strange because sometimes he felt like he had already experienced those visions, yet at the same time, he felt he had not. He had never visited the places he saw in his visions or even seen the places depicted in them.
He could only understand the meaning behind the order of the visions some of the time. He also felt a call from outside his domain that grew stronger year by year. He wondered what was pulling him, even though it wasn't strong enough to make him rush to go there, but it started to tingle him. He kept ignoring that feeling until today.
He kept comprehending until nightfall, and at that moment, he felt as if he had arrived at a place he had never stepped foot in before. The place looked like a huge and vast hall, making him feel like an ant within it. In the middle of the hall, there was a giant golden bone. He didn't know what kind of bone it was, but it was so huge that it could be mistaken for a golden hill outside the world.
The moment he tried to focus more on the bone, he was stunned to find himself suddenly awake in his room. However, he could still feel it, the bone in that place was calling him. It was strange, but he was sure that the sensation he had felt just a while ago was the same as the call he had been experiencing.
He kept pondering what had just happened to him, and after a while, he arrived at his own decision.
"I have to go to that place."
He felt that it was time for him to go outside and find a way to solve the mystery surrounding him. He had never tried to leave the secret realm, even after his parents left, because they had asked him to wait. But now, he felt it had to be done, otherwise, he would miss a great opportunity. After making his decision, he stopped cultivating his comprehension and cleaned himself to sleep for the night. The higher the stage, the less one needs to sleep, but comprehension also drains mental strength, so sleep is one way to restore it.
The next day, he visited Eleine's house and explained his plan to go to the outside world, he made an excuse saying he wanted to go outside to seek enlightenment because he had reached a bottleneck in his comprehension, without mentioning his vision, and the answer?
"No, young master, you can't go now. Lady Irene has ordered me to watch over you. I can't guarantee your safety in the outside world."
Of course, she rejected his plan, but Aldrian didn't give up and tried to persuade Eleine, only to be met with repeated rejections. Aldrian felt frustrated, from the way he saw it, it seemed he needed to convince Eleine in another way.
"What do I have to do so I can leave this place?"
He didn't feel right about slipping away and running from the secret realm without informing her and a few others. He didn't want to cause them to panic and worry about him. Eleine, hearing his question, pondered how to make her young master give up his plan. She knew that eventually he would go outside someday, but for her, it wasn't today or in the near future. Finally, she gave him a requirement that she thought would be impossible for Aldrian to accomplish.
"Fight me. If you win, I will give you my permission to go to the outside world."