He saw fear in the rabbit's eyes. Wide and shaking. He saw hunger in the snake's eyes. Cold and focused.
He did not stop them. Not because he was cruel or cold-hearted. But because he preferred to keep his hands off this matter.
If he saved this rabbit, the snake would just find another prey for food. It needed to survive.
He could not always go around saving every animal. He also did not want to kill the snake. So he preferred not to interfere unless necessary.
He observed quietly. As the life slowly faded from the rabbit's body, root clone focused all his attention.
He noticed every small detail.
The rabbit's breathing became weak. Its eyes grew dim. The warmth left its body bit by bit. The struggle stopped. Muscles relaxed. A final small twitch.
Something invisible seemed to leave the body. Not life essence. Something opposite. Cold. Empty. Final.
Root clone tried to feel it. To grasp that fading moment.
Just as the rabbit was about to lose consciousness completely, root clone moved his hand.
He sent a gentle force. The snake flew off the rabbit and landed far away.
Then he poured pure life element into the rabbit. Wounds closed. Breath returned strong. Fur became shiny again. The rabbit became healthy and new.
The rabbit opened its eyes. It looked around in surprise. Then it quickly ran away into the bushes.
The snake also ran in the opposite direction. Terrified of the invisible power.
Root clone watched the rabbit disappear. He said quietly, "We are even now. You helped me understand death element a little. I saved your life."
Root clone had already glimpsed the death element. That cold, final feeling at the edge of life.
After some more similar encounters, he would definitely reach a basic grasp of death element.
He stood up. The mountain wind blew. He closed his eyes and thought about what he felt.
Death was not just ending. It had its own laws. Quiet. Patient. Always waiting.
More observations waited. Step by step, he would understand it. Just like the others.
He began his journey through the mountain range again. Sometimes he saw withering plants, leaves turning brown and falling quietly. Sometimes he saw animals dying naturally, old age taking them without pain. Sometimes insects caught in webs, life fading slowly.
He watched everything. Felt the moment life slipped away. The cold emptiness that followed.
Slowly, his understanding of death element began to deepen. It was not destruction. It was balance. Return. Silence after sound.
*****
Ankit had also started his cultivation again. His goal now was to awaken the throat core after the heart core.
The throat core governed sound, vibration, and truthful expression. Space was the silent, boundless medium that allowed sound to travel and exist.
Its nature was ether. Or in other words, pure Akasha/space.
Like the other cores, it needed space essence to awaken its true nature.
Space essence was pure potential — empty, but it held everything.
Ankit did not worry about finding it. Space existed in all things. In his surroundings. In his body. Everywhere.
And space essence was simply the amalgamation of space element and Essence flow.
His fortress had both in large amounts. The deep chambers and high peaks drew them naturally.
Still, he created a small vyuha in the chamber. Golden lines formed on the floor. It began gathering space essence from the surroundings. Slowly pulling it in.
Ankit sat straight. He closed his eyes.
He began to visualize a vast space. Empty. Where nothing existed. Absolute silence. A perfect sphere of stillness around his throat.
Slowly, a new core began to form there.
He called upon the four lower cores quietly. They had built the foundation before. They would help awaken this one.
Root core gave stability. Sacral core gave flow. Solar core gave power. Heart core gave harmony.
Together, they supported the new core like strong pillars.
Ankit created a gentle cyclone at his throat. A slow swirl of the four lower essences rising up.
The cyclone drew the space-type essence flow from the vyuha. It gathered quickly in the new core.
After just half an hour, the core was full of raw space-type essence flow.
Then he began to condense it.
Quickly, the space essence turned into a single shining drop.
He took more from the vyuha. Condensed again. Drop by drop. Until the throat core was completely filled with dense space essence.
Now he let this condensed essence flow through his body. Cleaning every part. Purifying. Refining.
Two benefits came at once.
First, he gained a space elemental body.
Second, a new clone emerged beside him.
Like solar clone from solar core. But Ankit did not like the name throat clone.
He named it ether clone.
He also changed the name of throat essence to ether essence.
Space type essence flow that entered the body became throat essence.
Just like fire-type became solar essence. Water-type became sacral essence.
He did this every time. It helped keep things clear and different.