Sovereign of the Primordial Beasts Cultivator

The spiritual energy inside the meditation chamber of the Ashford’s didn't just flow, it roared like the flames of the sun, pouring down and melting anything that came in its path.

Adrian Kane grit his teeth, sweat stinging his eyes as the violent torrent of Qi hammered against his meridians. He was close, so close to the seventh level of Core Formation and he didn't want to let it go, he couldn't let it slip this time.

Beside him, Yuki let out a trilling, anxious cry. The snow white spirit fox paced the edge of the summoning circle, her two tails moving in rhythm with Adrian’s ragged breathing.

“Steady, Adrian,” Yuki’s voice echoed directly into his mind, her eyes closed and connected to his, peeking through his at the massive energy burst of the ancient bloodline surging through his veins.

“The beast core is stabilizing. Push through!” She encouraged him, energy burning his skin.

Adrian's eyes burned with flames, his body glowed with power and his core shook.

“I can't do it anymore!” His voice thundered across the chambers, shaking the walls violently as though a beast had struck.

“You can and you will. Just hold on a little longer!” Yuki's voice pierced through his mind.

He held the chains binding him, screaming and panting heavily while Yuki controlled his mind, pushing past the barricades and forcing her way up to the seventh core.

A massive burst of energy escaped her mouth and she flew to the corner of the wall, slamming herself hard and blood gushed out of her lips. Her eyelids wavered as she shook violently on the floor.

“I couldn't do it, I'm not strong enough,” her faint dying voice echoed in his mind.

“You must do this alone, old friend.”

And her eyes shut close. Adrian watched as her spirit floated into the air, seconds away from escaping the chambers and ascending into the realm of nothingness.

His mind flashed with pain, imagining how she would dissipate into millions of pieces in the realm of nothingness and he would be without a spiritual partner anymore.

The pain struck him like lightning and he thundered with a loud roar, the walls shaking violently and a large burst of energy escaped his body. His screams were nonstop as the violent energy burned him, barring the chamber.

Yuki's spirit roamed freely above while he screamed and he turned to her, energy bursting from his eyes and burning her. With a loud cry, he struck her back into the body she left and dropped to the ground, the chains falling off in various unrecognizable pieces.

His breath was ragged as he stared at Yuki on the ground, his face pale. Her tails swayed slowly and he rolled himself on the ground, fighting the pain to get to her.

“Yuki, get up. Come to me,” he quivered in his mind.

In that moment, a soft ethereal energy surrounded Yuki, burning around the fox with a blinding intensity, but Adrian was immune to it, and stared past the flames, watching his old friend stand in beauty and power, wiggling her tails and smiling graciously at him.

He stuck his hand to the ground and a strange energy filled his soul, fixing the chaos in his mind and knitting the wounds on his skin, leaving it smooth just as if nothing had happened.

“You did it!” Yuki said to him in his mind and her soft chitters filled the air as she rushed over to him and knocked him down.

He held her warmly, embracing her and didn't want to let go.

“Aren't you happy?” She asked through their tettered minds, staring at him and wiggling her tails in his face.

“I am,” he nodded, but his face told a different story.

“I almost killed you, I almost died,” he thought.

“But you didn't,” Yuki replied firmly.

His eyes narrowed at her as he got back to his feet and she walked with him to the corner and sat, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

“You have attained the seventh level of core formation. Our minds are now bonded, I am your phantom beast and you have the crown. You can now bond with any other beast and control them. You are the prime cultivator,” Yuki explained calmly and he lay speechless.

Thoughts ran through his mind, wondering on and on what now he'll do, now he had attained his life long dream.

“Ever since your parents died in the crash, all you've ever wanted was to attain the seventh level, you wanted to make your uncle proud. And now you have,” Yuki reminded, swaying her tales in his face and circling him slowly.

He stood up slowly, staring calmly and stretched forth his hand, allowing the energy to flow through his soul and his eyes widened as the flames burned but did him no harm.

Slowly, a crown burned from the flames and was forged in his hands, spinning into a scythe.

He held it firmly, his eyes fixed on it and sweat drops rolled down his eyes. A weak smile tugged across the corners of his lips and just then, a loud clapping hands echoed across the chambers.

Thuds of heavy footsteps followed and he spun the scythe to his side and turned around.

“Well, well, well!” Thomas's voice echoed across the chambers and his loud claps formed a rhythm with his footsteps.

Marcus stood behind, wearing a grim face and his fist tightened.

Immediately, Adrian dropped to the ground, his scythe vanishing at once, his head bent and his heavy ragged breaths filled the air.

“Get up, my boy,” Thomas smiled and pulled him up effortlessly, their eyes fixed on each other. Thomas stared as a proud father, but there was a simple smirk hanging on the corners of his lips. Adrian crashed into his arms warmly, while Thomas patted him.

“Marcus, come over here. Come congratulate your brother,” Thomas scolded and Marcus scurried forward, forcing a weak smile and leaning in, hugging Adrian softly.

“You should be proud of your brother,” Thomas tapped Marcus’ shoulders gently, squeezing softly with a smile on his face. Marcus grinned, but forced a better smile on his face, staring at Adrian.

His fist tightened, a soft energy struggled to force its way out of his fist as he smiled at Adrian. It snapped out like a whoosh and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

Yuki stood by the corner, wiggling her tails and observing everything that went on, not revealing herself to the others.

Thomas held Adrian's cheek with a smile on his face.

“You are my son, and you are now the prime cultivator. We have a lot to do,” he chuckled and tapped him softly.

Thereafter, he turned to leave, dragging the sullen Marcus along.

“Wash up, you have done well, my boy,” his hoarse deep voice echoed, but he made a swift turn, just as if something had clicked in his mind.

“Lest I forget my boy, tomorrow is a special day for you. Your twenty-first birthday. I would have a special robe prepared just for you,” he smiled.

The heavy thuds of his footsteps echoed as he left. Adrian stood with a mix of pride and perplexity. His weak voice called out once again.

“Father,” and there was a pause, from both him and Thomas. Thomas turned around slowly, staring at the heavy face buried on the ground. He had never called him father, but today was different.

“I owe you my life, I owe you everything. I'm nothing without you,” Adrian sulked.

Thomas rushed forward and held him, while Marcus stood behind, his gaze curling into a smug grim and a sigh escaped his lips and he looked away.

“You don't owe me anything. I only did what I had to do. And you don't have to thank me,” Thomas smiled and patted him gently, shaking him up by the shoulder like a warrior that he was.

“But,”

Thomas stopped him right.

“But nothing. You are the prime cultivator now, blessed with the seventh level core.” He tapped his shoulder gently and ran his fingers through Adrian's curly hair.

“Go on now, go wash up,” he smiled.

He smiled softly and retired to his room, while Thomas returned to his study with Marcus by his side.

Yuki and Adrian continued chatting and joking around with the new found power, exploring new possibilities for the young master.

There was no better than this duo.

However, late at night, Adrian finally took a breath, yawning loudly and laid his head to rest.

Moments later, he shook violently on the bed, his eyes glowing with fire and was drenched in sweat. He woke up with a loud gasp and Yuki rushed over to him, trying to calm him.

“What happened? The same nightmare?” Yuki's eyes peeked into his as their bound minds communicated like one.

“It was different this time. I saw her, I saw my mother. She gave me a necklace, the one on my neck,” he paused, his eyes scanning the room.

“She asked me to keep it safe, that some day, I'll need it.”

Yuki stared at him, wiggling her tales and chittering softly.

“I have to give it to Thomas, he's my father now, he'll keep it safe.” He took off the necklace and rushed out of bed, grabbing his robe and heading through the dark passage leading to Thomas's study.

With a snap of his fingers, a soft glow burned at the tip of his fingers and a smile tugged across the corners of his lips and he chuckled softly. This new found power he had just unraveled was beautiful.

But that joy was cut short when he heard arguing from the study, just as he was about to knock.

Immediately, he leaned in, and the flame vanished.

Thomas's fierce and cruel voice echoed from inside the room.

“The time is never right! All you had to do was learn how to control the powers. I killed his parents for this moment and I can't wait a second longer anymore!” Thomas spat.

Adrian's heart skipped a beat and his breath hitched in his throat. He struggled to keep his stance as tear drops rolled down his eyes.

The realization that all his life, he had been living and worshipping his parents' killer made him the most miserable and guilty soul alive.

“But,” Marcus tried to push, but was shut right up.

Just as Adrian was about to move away, the hushed venomous whisper from Thomas broke him further and left him staggering in pain.

"You think I want to wait, Marcus? If your meridians weren't shattered, I wouldn't have had to feed and house that brat for eighteen years just to fix you!"