Alaric tried to expand his perception to find the source of the tremor, but couldn't get to it.
The source was far from his range of perception.
He wasn't too troubled by it, but was curious about what could have caused it. He would like to be prepared for such a thing next time.
If it happened again and he was left unprepared, he might lose consciousness, and he really didn't want to find out what would happen if that were to occur.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle force envelop his body. Unlike anything he had ever seen, it lifted him off the cold ground.
He almost panicked, but his now-sharpened intuition didn't seem to perceive any danger, so he forced himself to calm down.
The chain that bound him tried to keep him from moving, but the force turned hostile toward them, and they snapped, freeing him from bondage.
The pipe connected to his chest turned into beautiful golden particles, then drifted along the wind.
There was no pain registered by his brain at all; it felt as though all his problems were suddenly washed away.
It took a few moments for him to reach the surface of the pit. The force made sure not to rush things as it seemed aware of his current fragile state.
Reaching the surface, Alaric found himself staring into the eyes of an elderly man, hair white as snow and an equally matching beard.
The old man had bright blue eyes. One could tell he was quite the looker when he was younger.
'What is this force? Is it the same as origin energy?' he pondered, then his eyes widened as if realizing something. 'I didn't see him coming.'
He has been paying attention to his surroundings since the tremor. His perception almost stretched to the very limit, yet he didn't notice the approach of the man standing before him.
He remained observing the old man, as he observed him too, as if looking at something intriguing.
He could feel the old man had no intention of harming him, but he couldn't help but be nervous. Someone who could deceive his perception could surely hide their intention from him.
Truthfully, he didn't know what to say at this moment; he wanted to say some greetings, but his words seemed stuck in his throat.
So he just floated in the air, watching the man observe him silently.
Old man Tian stared at the young man suspended in front of him. He kept a neutral face as he observed the boy closely.
The boy looked overly malnourished, and there were cracks on his skin.
That neutral expression seems to be making the young boy uncomfortable, as he could see he wanted to say something, but was too nervous to say it out loud.
His expression might look neutral and indifferent, but his thoughts were the opposite.
He was beaming with glee right now.
'I finally found him.' He wiped a tear mentally, 'After a month of searching, I finally got to him. This old man has really suffered during this past month.'
He then carefully scanned the boy's fragile body with his divine sense, careful not to harm him.
His expressionless face darkened the moment he finished his scan. He cursed mentally.
'Those barbarians are truly evil. To introduce original energy into his body at such a young age. They essentially crippled his foundation. I have to quickly fix it.'
It was considered taboo to introduce origin energy into the system of children, as their bodies are not strong enough to withstand it yet.
Origin energy is very strong and volatile, so it requires a solid foundation to contain it; that is why those children couldn't survive for up to a week with that energy in their system.
Even a limit breaker and a foundation realm practitioner would die after a month of consuming origin energy. It is no different from poison to them.
In fact, that's the entire reason there is a foundation realm to begin with. It is meant to slowly condition the body to be strong enough for origin energy.
'As expected from someone chosen by the heavens, he survived so much intake, ' old man Tian thought, genuinely impressed by the young boy.
He stretched his hand towards the forehead of the boy, saying, "You should get some rest, boy, your body is in dire condition and needs proper care."
In the last moment before his hands reached the boy, He watched as the boy's expression changed to one of horror as he quickly said. "No, I don't need…"
It was too late for Alaric, though, as darkness took over his consciousness.
|TLF|
Alaric's POV
He felt his consciousness come to as he felt himself wake from a very long slumber.
He felt light, like he was floating in thin air.
He could vaguely remember he was dreaming about something, something very beautiful and magical, but couldn't seem to remember what.
He opened his eyes and saw the change in scenery. He was in a beautiful room.
He expanded his perception across the room.
The room exudes luxury and sophistication, wrapped in a pristine white palette accented with shimmering golden details.
A grand crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its golden framework dripping with teardrop crystals that scatter rainbows across the room when sunlight filters in.
It felt like a room meant for royals from the pure aura it exudes.
Then he focused on his body. His previously unhealthy, dry body was now strong and fully healthy. His once dull crimson hair was now bright and glossy.
He could feel the power flowing through his body right now. he felt a lot more powerful than he was during his fight with the bandits.
He was confident he could take all of them together without breaking a sweat.
His constant hunger had also disappeared.
'Did I grow taller?'
He could tell he had grown a few inches taller after a full evaluation.
He tried to pull himself up when he suddenly frowned.
He was happy he was not in the pit anymore; he was very thankful in fact, but there was one problem.
He still couldn't move.
That was when the door was gently pushed open, and in came the same old man from before.
"Ah, you are finally awake. I thought you had given up on reality and just live a beautiful dream," he joked softly, then snapped his fingers.
Alaric felt the force binding him in place release him. Finally, he could move his limbs.
"Thank you, elder," Alaric said gratefully. He was really tired of being in bondage.
The old man brought his hands to stroke his snow-white beard as he replied, "There is no need for thanks, young man, I should be the one apologizing. Those people were operating in my territory without my knowledge, and that was unacceptable."
Alaric became silent. He didn't blame the old man for any of this.
Old man Tian sighed, watching Alaric, he at least expected him to blame him, as any 5-year-old in this world would.
"What about the others?" Remembering he wasn't the only one alive at the time, he hesitated slightly before asking about his 'pit mates'.
"Oh? You know about the other two?" he continued, stroking his beard, clearly intrigued.
"I did what I could for them. The little lass lost her eyesight, and the boy is fine, but can never practice martial arts."
He sighed, turning his back to Alaric, he moved to exit the room. "Enough about that boy, come with me, we have a lot to discuss."