THEY SACRIFICED ME, NOW I RULE THE CULTIVATION WORLD

Chapter 6: The First Step Beyond the Roots

The shadow outside my window had disappeared, but Vaelthar's warning remained. Someone had noticed the energy released during the ritual, and staying in my room would not make me safer. Darius was investigating the failed formation, while Elara had already risked too much to help me.

I waited until the corridor grew quiet. The guards changed shifts shortly after midnight, and their brief exchange gave me the opening I needed. When their footsteps moved toward the stairwell, I eased the window open and climbed onto the narrow ledge outside. I lowered myself carefully and landed behind a row of shrubs.

“Your movements are still clumsy,” Vaelthar remarked.

“Then teach me to move better.”

“First learn to keep yourself alive.”

I crossed close to the wall, retreating behind a pillar whenever patrols passed. My senses helped me notice movement sooner, but they could not tell me how many guards waited around each corner. One stopped less than ten steps away, and I held my breath until he continued.

The eastern courtyard was almost deserted. At its far end stood the abandoned storage building Elara had mentioned. Its wooden doors were warped, and weeds had grown between the stones leading to the entrance. I checked the surrounding paths before slipping inside and closing the door without letting it scrape against the floor.

Dust covered broken shelves and discarded furniture. A cracked lantern rested beside empty crates, and an old workbench stood beneath a small window. The place offered privacy, which mattered more than comfort while I remained a prisoner in the Voss estate.

“Now teach me,” I said.

Vaelthar's presence stirred beneath my thoughts. “You keep asking for power as though it were something I can place in your hands. You must learn to control what has already entered you.”

“I don't have time for lessons that lead nowhere.”

“Then you will die before the lesson is complete.”

I sat on the floor and followed its instruction to settle my breathing. The first task was to sense the energy around me without reaching for it through the broken channels that had defined my failed attempts at cultivation. I tried to feel the room as a whole, allowing my attention to move beyond my skin. At first, I noticed only the cold floor and the ache in my shoulder.

“Stop searching for the same thing ordinary cultivators seek,” Vaelthar instructed. “Your path does not begin with spiritual roots. Feel the energy, then draw it toward the point created by our bond.”

I tried again. A faint warmth brushed against my awareness, like a current passing through deep water. When I reached for it, my instincts pulled the energy toward the centre of my chest. The moment it touched the point beneath my ribs, pain tightened around my lungs.

I broke the connection and leaned forward, coughing.

“You forced it,” Vaelthar said. “You are trying to seize energy before you understand how to receive it.”

“Then explain it in a way I can use.”

“Stop treating it as an enemy. Let it enter, guide it, and do not pull harder than your body can withstand.”

I closed my eyes and began again. This time I waited until the faint current brushed against my awareness before guiding a small amount toward the centre of my chest. The warmth settled there without tearing through me. It moved along my arms and down my back, easing the stiffness left by the beating. My hearing sharpened, and I became aware of the faint creak of the storage building's roof.

The change was small but real. I had drawn in energy without relying on spiritual roots or triggering a violent reaction.

“That is the beginning,” Vaelthar said. “Do not mistake it for achievement.”

“I can feel the difference.”

“You can feel a little energy moving through your body. That is all.”

I tested my balance. My legs felt steadier, but I was nowhere near strong enough to face Darius. Even Lucian could overpower me, and the Voss family was unlikely to give me time to improve.

A wave of weakness suddenly passed through my chest. I caught the workbench before my knees gave way.

“What is happening?”

“The bond is demanding progress,” Vaelthar answered. “You have not reached the first required stage. The energy you gathered is not enough to satisfy the condition.”

“You said there would be a deadline. Tell me how much time I have.”

“You must reach the first milestone before the allotted period ends. If you fail, the bond will begin consuming your soul.”

“How long?”

“Your time is limited. I will tell you when the deadline becomes critical.”

Anger rose in me. “You expect me to trust you while keeping the most important part from me?”

“I expect you to survive. Knowing every detail will not make you stronger.”

“That is easy for you to say. It isn't your soul being threatened.”

Vaelthar's silence carried a cold amusement. “You agreed to the bond, Kael Mercer. I did not force your answer.”

I pressed my palm against my chest until the weakness eased. I had accepted the bond because the alternative was certain death; wasting time blaming Vaelthar would only bring me closer to the fate it described.

I returned to the floor and tried to draw in another small amount of energy. Before I could settle my breathing, a faint crunch sounded outside the building. I stopped immediately.

Footsteps approached the entrance, slow and measured. I moved behind a stack of old cabinets and sealed the energy beneath my skin as Vaelthar had taught me. The door did not open, but someone paused directly outside. Through a narrow gap between the boards, I saw the outline of a person standing in the courtyard.

The figure seemed to be examining the building. A faint spiritual pressure brushed across the entrance, making the dust near my feet tremble. Whoever stood outside was a cultivator, and the energy around them was more controlled than anything I had managed so far.

“Can they sense me?” I asked silently.

“I cannot tell,” Vaelthar replied. “Remain still.”

The figure waited another moment before walking away. I stayed behind the cabinets until the footsteps faded.

“Was that the person who watched my window?”

“Possibly. Your earlier energy left a trace, and repeated cultivation in one place may make it easier to follow.”

“Then this building is no longer safe.”

“No place is safe if you keep announcing your presence.”

After several minutes, I left. Near the ancestral hall, light still shone through the windows, and I recognized Darius speaking with Lucian and two elders. I stopped behind a stone screen.

“The formation must be examined before anyone touches the remaining stones,” Darius said. “I want to know where the energy reversed and why.”

Lucian sounded impatient. “We should question Kael now. He was at the centre when it happened. He knows something.”

“You will not interrogate him without my permission,” Darius replied. “Accusing him will not give us an answer. We need evidence before we make another move.”

One elder mentioned that Elara had been unusually protective of me. Darius's voice grew colder.

“Keep someone near her. She was the last person with access to him before the escape, and I will not overlook that coincidence. If she knows more than she has admitted, I want to find out.”

My hands tightened. Elara was under suspicion, and I could not give Darius another reason to punish her. I waited until the men left, then continued toward my room.

The guards had settled outside my door. I climbed through the window and lay on the bed, exhausted but unable to settle my thoughts. I had taken my first step along the ancient path, yet remained trapped among people who wanted me dead.

Vaelthar spoke as I tried to calm my breathing. “The trace you left has not disappeared. Someone has followed it closer than before.”

“Can you tell who?”

“No. But the next person who comes looking may not be satisfied with questions.”

A knock sounded at the door. I sat up and pulled the blanket over my legs as one of the guards opened it.

“The patriarch wants you before him tomorrow morning,” he said. “Be ready when we come for you.”

“What does he want?”

The guard gave me a hard look. “You can ask him yourself.”

He shut the door, and his footsteps moved away. I stared at the handle, knowing that Darius had no intention of letting the failed ritual pass without an explanation.

I had barely begun to understand the power inside me, yet the Voss family was already tightening its grip. Tomorrow, Darius wanted to see me, and someone else was following the traces of my awakening. For the first time since entering the cave, I understood that surviving the altar had not ended the danger. It had only brought me into a larger fight, for now.