To steal or not to steal

Feeling the bloody energy underneath his skin, Alix took a tiny portion of it and will it to displaced itself for a small distance. He tries to make it touch the blood cells flowing in the miniature capillaries just under the skin. The red cells were a little peculiar, without a nucleus, their shape as if having been flattened.

A lot of different kinds of cells were actually flowing and disappearing in the entire body making the process particularly harder than with the nerve cells. To nourish moving cells of different types, that was more of a challenge than Alix had anticipated.

To be sure all the blood cells were fed before starting the new phase sure was hard, no wonder Erik emphasize it was one of the more difficult steps to complete. Alix could find an incredibly complex maze of tiny vessels intricate into each over, making probably more than a hundred thousand kilometers put end to end.

"How can someone be sure to fed all the cells composing the vessels and all the cells flowing through them..? Erik told me that it wasn't quite possible and the best way was to feed a larger area with your energy. The downside was the impure step realized after because by doing this, other types of cells were fed too. The majority of people were thus generally letting this step as the last one to decrease the contamination of the others.

Alix was dangerously walking the fine line between perfecting his body and flawing it greatly. But the temptation to use his Blood energy was greater, instinctively knowing if it succeeds, he would become increasingly stronger.

Feeding a few cells, Alix soon stops, that wasn't the best method.

"When I pushed Blood energy into one of the cells, I can at most fill one or two Energysomes before the cells are long gone in another part of my body. Like this, I will never be able to finish it correctly.."

Having started to feed cells from other body systems than his nervous one, Alix was now considered as a first transition Evaporation level. The difference came tho by the completion of the step and not by its beginning so for the moment he wasn't truly stronger than before.

He tried different tactics, from stopping his cells, which was incredibly hard, to propel quickly a vast quantity of energy into one cell, the results were more than so so. The more satisfying one was when he made a small section in his veins filled with Blood energy and let the cells charge when flowing through this area.

"It will have to do... Luckily the cells seem to integrate the energy by themselves if the concentration is saturated. I don't need to force the energy one by one in them."

Alix finally opted for this strategy, making a large bundle of Blood energy in the middle of his aorta, he was letting the blood energy continuously flow to this localization, sustaining it.

"It allows me to cultivate non-stop but the downside is the difficulty for my mind to always focus on preventing the energy from dispersing. The concentration needed is quite high, luckily the cells making the artery walls swallowed the energy and then prevent it from flowing outside...Wait, what?"

Alix's green eyes opened all of a sudden, not sure of his new theory. Excitation was visible in the depth of his eyes.

"If it works... The large majority of people surely couldn't do it, but as I'm filled with Blood energy, more than I can count, I could probably achieve it..."

Breaking the small bundle of energy he just creates a moment ago, he let the energy disperse in the flowing blood.

"If I can do it, I will probably finish the first transition step in one go hehe..."

He began to mobilize a larger chunk of his Blood energy, letting it go through his body to penetrate the big artery and veins. As he did it, he let them flow with the blood, mobilizing another bundle of energy.

Alix repeats the operation several times before his blood began to show signs of this energy flowing freely with his cells.

"The first step is OK, the Blood energy doesn't seem to flow out, I just have to put all the energy I can in it and all the correct cells should convert themselves, what a genius I am hehe"

For three hours straight, he continues to move the Blood energy under his skin to his blood system to attain a concentration sufficient for his cells to absorbs the required energy by themselves. He had already moved a large quantity of Blood energy but it didn't even show on his face. It was perhaps a little paler but the dark red color was still here, living a frightening impression on him when he looks into a small puddle of water near his resting place.

"F*ck, how can I be normal once more if even letting all this gigantic quantity of energy in my blood didn't do anything! Well, not my problem, for now, better charge all the way to the apex of the first transition step, I should be twice as strong as before, if not more with the increase to my healing factor. The blood step is one of the more needed for powerful technique, a shame Erik didn't have the time to teach me one..."

Thinking of this loving family, Alix felt a sharp pain in his heart. He grew quite fond of them in a short time, he misses them quite a lot already.

"But first, grow stronger, then I have to give them the gift I couldn't previously, one way or another. After... Well, I want to see my friends again, I should return to Ol' tree village!"

The concentration of Blood energy in his body began to saturate, his blood cells beginning to absorb it in batches like a dried person before a water bottle. The concentration dramatically decreases in an instant under the ferocious nourishment of the cells.

Alix was forced to pump more of it again, the situation appearing each time he achieves the absorption threshold. Some blood cells flowing freely and even cells making the walls of arteries began to be filled to the brim with energy, their Energysome full. New Energysome, greens one were appearing as to absorb the remaining energy, increasing their limit as in his early step.

Finding a balance between moving Blood energy and its absorption, Alix's mind found it much easier to multitask than with his first idea. Additionally, he had increased his nerve cells so his mind had its capacity upgraded.

During two more hours, he inspected his body while feeding his blood cell, finally reaching a state of near completion. All his blood cells were already filled but new Energysome keeps appearing, increasing their consumption.

"This time I reach this stade much more quickly, to feed all my cells in just five hours... With the original number of Energysome I possess, it's quite a feat I would say, even for people with normal talent! Hehe, I knew it was the correct path, I will conquer The Abraxas!"

The exuberant joy he felt allowed him to better appreciate his future plans. Raising himself, he looks toward the mountain, feeling the fresh air caressing his face. Exhaling a deep breath, a lot of negative emotions flew out, purging his body of lots of what happened below.

"Well, where the hell am I? I know I'm on Tellama mountain but where is the village...? I have to buy a few things before departing..."

Walking while gazing at his surrounding, he quickly found what he was searching for, a tree higher than other situated on a small mount. With a powerful jump, Alix grabs a branch at half the length of the tree, hanging easily with one hand. Quickly finishing his climb, he stood at the top of the tree, embracing the landscape appearing before his eyes.

"Well, great, trees and trees...And oh! Other trees... As if it could be this simple... Hmm, what is this, smoke? That should be it, right? Hell yeah, there's actually a lot of chance for it to be near the village, go go go!"

Without embarrassing himself so much as to climb down, Alix jumped right on the ground, creating a little impact making a loud noise. His density was, after all, higher than most and the height was quite high creating a dusty crater where Alix stood dumbfounded.

"It wasn't quite the result I expected...but it's good nevertheless hehehe!"

Running quickly toward the direction he previously saw, he pierces through the forest without encountering any wild beast. They were all dead or fleeing for their lives because of the previous rampaging of the Blood Emanation.

Soon he could see traces of human civilization, small paths, cultivated fields and walls made of stones. Slowing his pace, he wandered between these smalls obstacles, looking curiously, trying to understanding their functions or why they were here.

Suddenly he notices a movement afar from the corner of his eyes. A man was walking while whistling, a shovel on his shoulder. Taking his chance to ask for the way, Alix began to walk toward him.

As the man look at him, Alix could see a gaze fill with fear and distrust. Quickly turning over, he began to run with all his might while screaming for help as if escaping from a fate worse than death.

Puzzled, Alix tried to understand why when he quickly remember his appearance, straight from hell, black and red as a mighty demon lord.

"Sh*t! How will I enter the village if anyone reacts like this...? Hmm, I will follow him discreetly, for now, he should be running toward the village, after all, when fleeing from dangers we tend to find shelter in number."

Following behind the trees, merging in the deep shadow of the forest, Alix was looking at this man who was running quite fast, forcing him to increase his pace.

"He should be above Lor's level, somewhere in the Condensation level probably, but he didn't seem to have learned any footwork technique making his tracking quite easy."

A dozen minutes later, the vast fortification of Tellama village could be seen as mighty as before, the man stepping in it without looking back.

Alix stays in the shadow at the outskirt, looking while thinking.

"I won't be able to enter if even seeing me from afar produce this reaction! There isn't any chance for me to penetrate by normal means...But even if I enter discreetly, I won't be able to buy what I want from the villagers."

Waiting for the night to come, Alix move behind the fortification, his body flowing like liquid shadows, undiscernable in the moonless night. Climbing easily the walls made of stone and wood, he stood on top, ready to escape at any moment.

Seeing no one at proximity he sigh a breath of relief and enter the village. Remembering his previous visit, he quickly localizes the market alley, his target for this night.

"I actually have two choices, I could hide under a thick mantle and buy the groceries I need, I have little money thanks to Erik. But there is a high risk a guard would ask me to remove the mantle at any moment and I would have no choice but to run and likely to be chase... Or I could visit the market during the night and stol... Borrow what I need and escape without a wave... The choice is easy!"

He first found the library, at the end of the alley. Easily jumping on its roof, he climbs down by its windows, easily forcing it with his powerful strength despite the solid steel in which it was built. Exploring in silence the racking covered in all types of ancient books, Alix was a little stressed by the atmosphere. It was his first time doing something illegal but the need was pushing him, reducing his jumpy attitude.

His curiosity was stimulated by all this knowledge gathered in one place and his eyes couldn't help but detailed the books they saw in the darkness, bright as a day for someone who lived six months under the Never Canyon.

His hand stretched out, caressing the bookbinding as if a lover, Alix finally stopped, taking a book from the shelf.

"History of the Vaux Country, a Passing Heritage from Kings long gone."

"I don't even know where is this country, I'm such an uncultured swan, I have to rectify this!"

Looking toward the shelf, he took another one.

"Legends and Myths of the World"

"What is this classification system, they just put the book here randomly, right? Well, it's not what I'm here for... But I can't let this chance passes...What to do? First, my goal, we will see after!"

Looking around for half an hour, he finally found the rake where maps were stored. Searching for a good dozen of minutes, he finally found one where both Tellama village and Ol'Tree village were written.

"Finally I can return !! Now... Do I really stole this map...? I could let some coins here, paying for it but the theft would be known, whereas if I don't, nobody would probably now with the mess they did in this library..."