Chapter 14 Soul?

The searing heat concentrates inside her stomach. "This is the first stage. That feeling inside your stomach, that is your dantian. The place where we store the energy. Your dantian is like a dehydrated person almost dying of thirst. Right now your dantian got an influx of energy, practically the drought in your dantian is experiencing its first blessing of rain." Uriel explains while Jane grits her teeth.

Slowly the concentrated heat moves from her dantian outward through her whole body. All the muscles in her body tense up and she starts writhing on the ground.

"Right now, you feel the energy traveling through all your meridians. Meridians are part of a sort of vein system inside your body connected to your dantian. It allows you to let the energy travel throughout your body."

"Ahh! Ugh... Fuck!" Jane felt the heat intensify significantly. "As your dantian and meridians are partly ethereal, as they connect to the heavens and can hold much more energy than how big they actually are. As result, the pain is a lot less compared to the second stage, what you are currently experiencing."

"The energy is currently seeping into your body. The heart, blood, nerves, organs, skin, and eyes. Revitalizing your body. Shedding your old body and being reborn anew."

After an unknown time, the pain died down. Jane took a breath of relief. "Is it over?"

Adramalech answered. "No, not yet. There will be a little buffer, but in a moment stage 3 will start. This one will affect your soul."

"My Sou-? Argh!!!" Jane couldn't even finish her sentence when pain at least triple as painful sending her body writhing and out of breath. Her world drowned in pain. She couldn't even hear herself scream.

Her parents watched her from the side. Burning the image of their daughter screaming in agony in their minds. With the power they have, they could easily interfere. But they didn't, the awakening is a necessary process and the first step on their daughter's cultivation path.

After what felt like an eternity the pain finally subsided. Jane is lying on the ground. Staring into nothingness. It seemed like she died, if not for her heaving chest, indicating that she is breathing.

Jane wondered if being burned alive would feel better than what she just experienced. She took a deep breath, which felt like a fresh morning breeze. Jane frowned.

She felt like shackles that had held her down all her life were finally shattered. She felt inexplicably free. It felt like a heavy weight has been lifted from her shoulders. It kind of felt intoxicating.

"I-I feel my... soul...? No, souls...? A-and my body... I don't feel complete?" Jane asked nobody in particular in a hoarse voice, from all the screaming. Jane turned her head to her parents, question marks all across her face. "What is happening?"

"You did exceptionally well. Normal people would have fainted." Uriel says while caressing her daughter's face. She sat down and let Jane's head rest on her thighs.

"What you just experienced is called 'The Awakening'. All who step on the path of cultivation have to go through this process. The awakening signifies the three paths there are to cultivation. The Energy path, The Body path, and The Soul path." Uriel says while lightly caressing Jane's hair.

"About 1 in 3 people faint during the awakening of their dantian and meridians. Essentially the awakening of the energy path. As this is the easiest path for one to become stronger. This path is also used as an indicator for power. Which is funny, the easiest is taken as an indicator." At the end of the explanation, Uriel mocked the cultivation world with their beliefs and weird standards.

"I'm getting sidetracked here. So, about 1 in 2 people faint during the awakening of their body. As this is a more difficult path to cultivate. People that have a high talent for this path will mostly not faint. Tsk! Some clans and races use this ridiculous awakening process as an indicator for talent. It is just a sort of test for perseverance. Who can handle the pain the best, who can pull through difficult situations or who can stay sane in insanely stressful situations." Uriel mocked again.

"You're getting sidetracked again, sweetheart." Adramalech said to his wife.

Uriel rolls her eyes. "You can't disagree with me, for thinking it is ridiculous, right?"

It was Adramalech's turn to roll his eyes. "Of course, I agree that what some clans do is ridiculous. But you are explaining something here to our daughter." Both of Jane's parents look at Jane. Jane, who listened to every word that was said, looked from her dad to her mom.

She absorbed every bit of information like a dried-out sponge being thrown into the water. "No, go on. I want to know more. The more I know the faster I can get strong."

Both Jane's parents laugh at her antics. They looked amused to their daughter. Even after experiencing horrible pain. She composes herself and is ready to go again. Their daughter really is impulsive and lives in the moment.

"Well then. Almost everyone faints during the awakening of their soul. As to be expected. The soul is a fragile entity. Every slight change has major consequences for the soul." This time Uriel didn't mock anything about there being ridiculous concepts in the cultivation world about the soul.

"But to answer your question about why you feel incomplete and sense like there is more than one soul inside you, you first need to know something about our races."

Bang!

Out of nowhere, a figure appeared on the side of the room. Kneeling on one knee and facing down. This figure wore typical knight armor. Heavy plating and fully covered in armor. A flash of annoyance appeared on Uriel's face, but the words the knight announced took the annoyance away.

"The first one of the chosen has woken up, Lady Fire, Lord Pride." The knight announced.

"This fast?" Adramalech asked. The knight nodded. "Yes, Lord Pride."

"Any information?" Uriel asked. "We suspect she is related to a forgotten family. A really old, forgotten family." The knight answered.

Uriel's eyes narrowed. "How old are we talking?" The knight trembled a bit. "About 7 eras ago." Uriel looked surprised to her husband, who had the same surprised look. "Anything different about her appearance?"

The knight trembled again, from the pressure both Uriel and Adramalech exuded. "P-purple hair and purple eyes."

Upon these words both Adramalech and Uriel gasped out loud.