Chapter 14: Warning.
Jonathan stood in the quiet garden, his body completely still. The silence around him felt cold and heavy. The only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle wind and the low hum of mana that still hung in the air from earlier.
His face, usually calm and strong, now showed something new. It was the look of fear, mixed with a terrible understanding.
He stood frozen for a long moment, staring at nothing. His mind was a storm of thoughts, each one louder and more frightening than the last.
He was thinking of the danger his son was now in—a danger so great that normal people could never even dream of it.
If the world found out about Aiden—his son—it would be a disaster. If they learned he had a mana heart that no one could see or sense, and that he was the youngest cultivator in all of history… the results would be too terrible to imagine.
And now, there was more. Aiden had demonstrated that he could utilize all ten elements.
Jonathan's thoughts grew darker and heavier with every second. He knew this world too well. The world of mana cultivators was not a kind place. It was not fair. It was a place of cruelty, of burning ambition, of endless greed, and of a hunger for power that could never be filled.
If this secret got out… If people discovered what Aiden was…
Some would want his power for themselves. Kings, nobles, powerful families, and ancient clans. They would do anything to take such a prodigy and make him their puppet.
Others—those without a heart or morals—would want to study him. They would want to cut him open, to experiment on him, to find the secret behind his miracles.
Aiden would become a tool. A thing to be taken apart, looked at, and thrown away. He would suffer pain beyond imagining.
Jonathan's hands curled into tight fists without him even noticing. Just the thought of it filled him with a cold dread and a hot rage.
And then some were worse than all the rest. The parasitic mana cultivators.
These were not people. They were monsters wearing human skin. They were cruel. They showed no mercy. Their ambition had no end. They would not just try to control Aiden. They would try something much darker.
They would parasite him. They would crawl into his body, into his mana veins, into his very soul. They would take control of his body and push his own mind out, replacing it with their own.
By doing this, they could achieve the impossible. They could steal Aiden's body and his heart and become an all-elemental cultivator themselves.
Jonathan's face became like stone, his jaw so tight it ached. His mind showed him picture after picture, each one more horrible than the one before.
He could not let that happen. He would never let that happen.
He took one slow, deep breath, pushing the fear down into a hard ball in his stomach. He turned to look at his son. Aiden stood quietly before him, his face calm but his eyes full of questions.
The boy did not understand yet. He did not know how deep his new power went, or what kinds of dangers now hid in the shadows, waiting for him.
Jonathan's voice dropped low. It was grave and thick, filled with an authority that did not allow for questions.
"Aiden," he said slowly, his eyes locking onto his son's. "Listen to me now. Listen very closely to what I am about to say—and never forget it."
His words were heavy, like stones. Aiden, feeling the seriousness in his father's tone, stood up a little straighter. His small hands curled softly at his sides.
Jonathan continued, each word chosen with care.
"You must never tell anyone else that you are a mana cultivator. Never tell anyone you are an all-elemental mana cultivator. Never tell anyone about your unique, invisible mana heart. Not anyone. Not even the person you trust the most, or love the most, or feel closest to in your life. Do you understand?"
Aiden blinked. Confusion swam in his eyes, but he did not speak. His father's tone was too serious to interrupt.
Jonathan went on, his voice becoming almost a whisper. "If this secret gets out, you will be in terrible danger. Danger so great that not even your mother and I could save you from it."
Sara, who stood quietly beside them, gave a single, grim nod. Even she could not argue with the truth in Jonathan's words.
Jonathan's tone hardened like ice. "Mana cultivators of higher stages will come for you. They will try to take your power. They will try to experiment on you. They will try to take your body for their own. You must always be aware, Aiden. Always."
He paused, and his expression turned so dark it seemed to swallow the afternoon light. He spoke the final warning.
"And remember—you should always be aware of the Parasite."
The word *Parasite* hung in the air, cold and sharp.
Aiden's small body went stiff. The tone in his father's voice was new. It wasn't anger. It wasn't frustration. It was real, shaking fear.
When he heard it, a great wave of horror rose from deep inside his heart. The understanding began to settle in his mind: if even his parents—who were strong, high-stage mana cultivators—could not protect him, then the danger he faced was bigger than anything he could think of.
His father and mother were both Stage Four cultivators—Half Immortals. Their bodies were nearly unbreakable. Normal weapons could not hurt them. And yet, they said they could not save him if the wrong people learned his secret.
That one thought alone made Aiden's blood feel like ice in his veins.
A cold shiver crawled down his spine. His young mind struggled to hold the size of the danger he was now in. He truly was standing at the edge of something much bigger—and much deadlier—than he could understand.
As Aiden was lost in these dark thoughts, Jonathan's deep voice cut through again, calm but sharp as a knife.
"Are you listening, Aiden?"
Aiden snapped back to the garden. His eyes focused again on his father. His heart was still beating fast against his ribs, but he straightened his back. He forced his voice to be steady.
"Yes, Dad," he said seriously. A tiny thread of fear ran beneath his words. "From now on, I won't tell anyone about anything at all."
Jonathan nodded slowly. The tightness in his shoulders loosened just a little, but his face stayed serious.
"Good," he said quietly.
Then, Jonathan's expression softened, but only a little. His eyes still held the weight of caution and duty. He spoke again, his voice steady.
"From now on," he said, "your mother and I will teach you about our elements. We will teach you until you have fully mastered every spell of fire mana, water mana, healing mana, and puppeteer mana. After you have mastered them all, I will find the right teachers for you—teachers who can help you learn to control the other elements."
Aiden listened with all his attention. His small hands were clasped together in front of him. His eyes were wide and full of focus.
Jonathan continued, walking a slow circle on the grass as he explained. "You will learn from one teacher at a time. After you have learned everything from that teacher, I will find you a new one for the next element. This will happen again and again, until you have mastered all ten."
He stopped walking and looked back at Aiden, his face grave. "And remember—your progress will seem much slower than everyone else's. It is because they only have one, two, or maybe three elements to master. But you… You have ten."
Aiden nodded, his young face set in a serious line. "I understand, Dad."
Jonathan gave a faint nod of approval. "But you also have much more time than others," he continued. "Because at this time, even the rarest geniuses only form their mana heart at age thirteen. You have six more years than they do."
He paused, his eyes narrowing just a bit as he spoke with quiet confidence. "In those years, I will make sure you become a Stage Two mana cultivator with complete mastery over all the elements you can use."
"With that many elements, even if your opponent is one stage stronger than you, you will be able to defeat them." His tone changed, becoming a warning. "But remember—this is only possible at the lower stages."
Jonathan's voice shifted again, now filled with the firm resolve of a father who would move mountains to protect his child.
"After you reach the age of eleven," he said, "I will send you to the best mana cultivation academy in this empire. There, you will be able to live among others. You will learn. You will grow. You will not have to hide forever."
He glanced toward Sara. She gave him a soft, supportive nod.
"And you do not have to worry about anyone sensing your unique mana heart," Jonathan added. "Many nobles use special devices or artifacts to hide their stage or the color of their mana heart. No one will doubt you."
He paused, and his tone finally softened, like the sun breaking through a cloud. "Alright. Now, go and get some rest. Starting tomorrow, your real training begins. Rest well today. Be ready for tomorrow."
Aiden had heard every single word. He replied, his voice calm and respectful, "Yes, Dad."
Jonathan nodded. Then, he placed his large, warm hand gently on top of Aiden's head. He ruffled his son's hair softly. A faint, tired smile touched his lips, but the worry never completely left his eyes.
Sara watched them quietly. Her gaze was a mix of two powerful feelings—a great, swelling pride for what her son could do, and a cold, clutching fear for the dangers that now followed him because of it.
After that, Aiden spent the rest of the day as he usually did. It was quiet and simple. He helped Sara with small chores around the house.
He listened to her tell old stories about the world. He practiced his basic breathing exercises in the garden, feeling the air move in and out of his body.
The hours passed gently. Soon, the warm, orange light of sunset washed over their home. Then, the calm blue of the evening followed.
When the first stars began to twinkle in the dark sky above, Aiden went back to his room. He sat on his bed, crossed his legs, and began to draw mana from the world around him. The air in his room shimmered with a faint, invisible light as the energy flowed into his body.
He continued for fifteen minutes. His breathing was slow and steady. When he finally stopped, he felt a gentle warmth spread through his chest—the soft, hidden pulse of his invisible mana heart.
Tiredness washed over him. He lay down on his bed. His eyes grew heavy, and he slowly drifted into sleep.
The night was peaceful. The wind outside his window was calm. Everything was still and quiet.
But deep, deep beneath the earth, far below the quiet house—down where the roots of the world's mana twisted and breathed in the dark—a faint heartbeat echoed.
It did not come from Aiden's chest.
It came from somewhere under the ground. A slow, steady *thump… thump… thump* that no one in the house above could hear.
And as Aiden slept, unaware, the faint green glow of his own mana heart pulsed once in the dark of his room. For a single second, it flickered—not with its pure light green, but with a dark, sickly shade of shadowy green, before fading back to normal.
Deep below, the hidden heartbeat answered with another strong, eager thump.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're worried about what's waking up under Aiden's house, or what that strange flicker in his mana heart means, make sure to add this story to your Collections so you don't miss the next chapter!