Chapter 5
I could barely stand.
Each step to the wall felt like an impossible challenge. My muscles trembled, as if they were coming undone from the inside. Sweat ran down my face, cold and sticky, while my body burned as if it were on fire.
The pain was absurd. It wasn't in one specific place—it was everywhere. Bones, skin, thoughts. As if I were being taken apart, piece by piece, without anesthetic, without a break.
I threw myself on the floor, trying to breathe. The air felt heavy, dense, as if it were full of iron. The master said this was the first stage. That I needed to destroy my body to rebuild it. But he didn't say it would be like this. Not with this intensity. Not with this feeling of imminent death.
I sat in the lotus position, or at least I tried. My body no longer obeyed. It was as if I were trying to control something that wasn't mine anymore. But I had to continue. I had to visualize. Guide the energy. It was the only way.
I closed my eyes. And there, in the dark, I saw my body—broken, torn, unrecognizable. But something inside me refused to accept the end. I started to imagine something else. A phoenix. Burning. Dying. And being reborn.
The image was clear. The feathers in flames. The silent scream. The ashes. And then... light. Life.
The pain increased. As if my body were reacting to the idea. As if it were resisting the transformation. But I didn't back down. I held on tight. Because now I knew what was happening.
I was dying. But not for real.
I was being reborn.
.....
Pov Gael:
I looked at the brat in the corner of the room. He was almost coming apart.
His skin burned a grotesque red, as if it were about to explode. Steam rose from his body, and a dark, thick, fetid liquid was seeping from his pores. The smell was unbearable. A mix of burned blood and old poison.
Tsk... this smell. I hate this smell.
Julian was in the lotus position, trembling, grinding his teeth, trying not to scream. The energy around him vibrated, hot, dense, almost alive. Too raw. Almost dangerous.
If he continues like this, he'll tear himself apart from the inside... I muttered, crossing my arms. It's not every day someone surpasses their own mortal limits.
I sighed. I'd seen this kind of scene before. Some survive. Others become puddles.
I think I'll have some tea.
I left the room, ignoring the muffled moans behind me. I went straight to my office. Nothing like a little lemon balm to deal with the smell of someone dying...
Where's the pot...? Ah, here.
I prepared everything calmly. While the water was heating up, I picked up one of my favorite books. An ancient book, full of pompous and exaggerated phrases.
"The human leaves the mortal realm by crossing the carnal, entering the martial realm..." I read in a low voice, rolling my eyes. "These old men love to embellish things."
I flipped through a few more pages, analyzing what would come next.
Better get the next class ready. My juniors will need it... if they survive.
.....
Pov Julian:
I tried to open my eyes, but exhaustion pushed me back into the dark. It was as if my eyelids weighed a ton.
I'm lying on the floor. Cold. Wet. And with a horrible... smell.
Did I shit myself?
Damn it. It's always one disaster after another.
My senses are slowly returning. I feel the vibration of the floor beneath me, I hear the hunchback limping somewhere in the hallway. The sound of his shuffling step is unmistakable.
I take a deep breath. I push myself. After several frustrated attempts, I manage to prop myself up against the wall. My breathing begins to stabilize. I inhale. I exhale. Again.
I open my eyes slowly. And I'm greeted by a sight that makes me want to vomit.
I'm covered in a black slime. Sticky. Fetid.
What the fuck is this...
I swallow the nausea. I can't vomit now. I don't even have the strength for it.
My legs barely obey, but I force myself to stand. Every muscle screams. Every joint feels like it's made of glass.
I drag myself down the hallway. The bathroom is my only goal. I pass a few disciples. They pretend not to see me. They don't seem bothered by the smell or the deplorable state I'm in.
Fuck you guys, too...
I reach the bathroom. I turn on the bathtub faucet and throw myself inside, like a corpse that has come home.
The water starts to rise. And I just lie there, slowly sinking, hoping all this shit goes down the drain with the slime.
...
Pov Marlon:
Gambeta Family.
Crazy old bastard. Now I'm the one who has to call him? Damn elders... why don't you guys go there yourselves?
My stomach is churning. What if he cuts me? His cut is too clean. I just have to hope it's quick.
I walk in a hurry. Mission: summon Old Fang. By the looks of it, he screwed up. Again.
He massacred a group of mountain bandits. Who, by the way, are our allies. Direct affiliates. And he cut them all in half. Literally.
Is it some kind of fetish?
While I think about this bullshit, I arrive in front of his hall. A huge gate stares at me as if it knows what awaits me.
I grip the knocker. I knock.
Don't be here... don't be here... don't be here...
The gate opens.
Damn. He is.
I enter the enclosure. I walk to the room. There he is: sitting, stroking his sword as if it were a pet cat.
Crazy son of a bitch.
"Hello, I greet you, Master Fang!"
He doesn't even look. Son of a bitch...
Okay, let's just get this over with.
"So, sir... the council has summoned you."
SWISH!
He sheathes his sword. I almost had a heart attack. You rickety old man, just die already.
"Hm... Mariel sent his dog to deliver messages."
Dog?! You goddamn old man. I'd kill you if I could.
"Haha, I see you still have a sense of humor..."
Sense of humor, my ass. I'll kill you one day, you fucking bastard.
The old man sighs. As if he were tired of living.
Instead of drinking tea and eating cookies, I'm out here burning other people's strongholds...
Tsk. This old man should have died a long time ago.
"Tell them I'm coming. I just need to water some plants."
"Yes, sir."
Idiot old man. I hope the elders cut off your head.
I leave the courtyard, trying not to vomit from nervousness.
And now... what do I tell Lord Mariel?
.....
Mariel Gambeta, a man in his thirties, one of the elders of the Gambeta Family and leader of the Hall of Discipline. He sat, drinking his tea calmly. He blinked his blue eyes frequently, as if he were always calculating something. His short, graying hair was perfectly combed, and war tattoos adorned his arms with silent pride.
He sighed. He looked up.
Marlon, tense, approached.
"So the old man is coming?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hm, alright. Tell me, how is he?"
How is he? Damn it... how should I know?
"Apparently well. A little moody, but that's normal, I guess."
"Alright. Good to know."
I just want to get out of here. This place is full of lunatics.
"Isaiah!" Mariel yelled.
What?
Out of nowhere, a figure emerged from the shadows.
"Yes, my lord?"
Hooded, without revealing face, gender, or age. The neutral voice seemed to come from a place outside of time.
"Make a report of everything the old man has done. And everything those around him are doing."
"Yes, my lord."
Isaiah disappeared into the shadows again.
Whoa... something new every time. I think I'm going to take a vacation.
"Does my lord need anything else?" Marlon asked.
"No. Take this and go to the brothel. You're too tense."
Saying this, Mariel tossed a gold coin to Marlon.
"Thank you, my lord. I will do as you wish."
Hehehe... gold coin, gold coin...
Marlon left the room, almost skipping.
Mariel was left alone. He looked at the cup, slowly stirring the tea.
"Eh... master. It's time for you to stop giving me problems..."
....
POV Julian:
"Is this me?"
I approach the polished bronze mirror, almost in disbelief. My hair falls over my shoulders, dark as night, with a sheen that seems like a work of sorcery. My skin, once marked by the sun and battles, now looks clean, firm, almost noble.
I turn slowly, observing my body. My muscles are well-defined, as if they were carved by divine hands. My jaw, once crooked by time, now looks sculpted from stone—symmetrical, strong.
I give a smirk, full of pride.
"If I showed up at court like this, even the lords' wives would throw glances my way."
I look at myself once more, fixing my dark and deep eyes.
"With this look? I don't need to say a word. They'll come of their own accord."
I let out a dry, confident laugh.
"Hahaha... I am above common men."