Chapter 16: I see
The entire world was luminous. Every tree emitted a soft glow. The earth was crisscrossed with pulsating veins. The sky was filled with an energy that fell from the stars like a fine rain.
And the wild boar. The wild boar was a mass of glowing light, concentrated around its heart, spreading into its limbs with each beat.
"I... I see!" murmured Daemon, eyes wide open.
He looked around, mouth agape, then the colors faded and Daemon collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
...
In the cabin, Luna was sitting cross-legged on her bed. She had finished healing her chi core several weeks earlier, and since then, she meditated every evening to regain her full power. The sensation of chi flowing freely through her body was a joy she had not known for months.
She opened her eyes.
Daemon had been gone for more than two hours. Normally, a hunt lasted one hour, one and a half at most.
"Did that idiot get attacked by a beast?" she sighed.
She grabbed a torch and went out into the night. The forest was silent, disturbed only by the distant cry of an owl. She followed Daemon’s tracks to a clearing.
She found him lying on his side.
’He succumbed to fatigue,’ she thought as she knelt beside him. "Maybe I was too hard on him."
She placed a hand on his forehead to check if he had a fever. It was then that she noticed something strange.
When Daemon breathed, chi entered his body. The air he inhaled was charged with chi, as always. But instead of coming out when he exhaled, the chi stayed inside. It accumulated around his heart.
’You did it,’ thought Luna.
She smiled slightly. She lifted Daemon carefully, placed him on her back and headed back to the cabin.
"You are not totally useless." she murmured.
...
Daemon woke up near the fire.
Luna was sitting across from him, a cigarette in hand. She looked at him without saying anything.
"Master." Daemon sat up slowly. His head was still spinning a bit. "I am sure I was able to see earlier. It was real, right? I did not dream."
"I know." Luna took a drag on her cigarette. "And you fell unconscious because you used up all your chi."
Daemon raised an eyebrow. "But I just unblocked my core. How could I have used up all my chi?"
"Your chi core is no different from that of a baby." explained Luna. "As we grow older, we accumulate chi. We absorb it every second, without even realizing it. But you, this is the first time you have absorbed any in seven years." She crushed her cigarette. "So your reserve is tiny."
Daemon listened, but his mind was elsewhere. He had succeeded. He had really succeeded. After all this time, he had finally unblocked his chi core. He was closer to his goal than he had ever been.
"Ahah! Master!" he exclaimed, raising his arms in the air. "I told you I was a genius!"
"Calm down, calm down. No need to make so much noise... But I must admit, you are not so bad."
Daemon smiled, then his stomach growled.
"So, Master, can I have dinner?"
Luna blinked. "Huh? What does that have to do with it?"
"Well... I hunted, I unblocked my chi, I succeeded." Daemon counted on his fingers. "I deserve a meal, right?"
"You let your dinner get away." Luna gestured toward the window. "You will try again tomorrow evening."
Daemon jumped to his feet. "But Master! That is not fair! I managed to unblock my chi core and maybe even the First Sense. I deserve a reward!"
Luna thought for a few seconds. She looked at him, then nodded slowly.
"Andromeda Yak Surgat."
Daemon looked at her, puzzled. "Huh?"
"As a reward, I am telling you my real name." Luna shrugged. "Andromeda Yak Surgat."
"That’s all?" Daemon widened his eyes. "Master, are you kidding me?"
"What do you mean?" Luna frowned. "Is it not exceptional to know your master’s real name? I myself do not know my master’s."
"Anyway, I am going to keep calling you Luna." Daemon sat back down grumbling. "What is the point of knowing your real name? I would much rather have a chicken leg in comparison."
Luna jumped to her feet. "Shameless disciple! Has your pride gone to your head?" She pointed at the floor with her finger. "Do some push-ups to get your feet back on the ground!"
Daemon opened his mouth to protest, but the coldness in Luna’s gaze dissuaded him. He sighed, lay down on the floor, and started his push-ups.
...
It was nearly one o’clock in the morning, and Daemon was exhausted. Sweat ran down his forehead, soaking his shirt.
"358, 359, 360..." he counted between his teeth.
’Luna is really touchy,’ he thought as he continued his exercise. "Ah... I hurt everywhere."
It was at that moment that a smell reached his nostrils. The smell of grilled meat.
He turned his head.
Luna was standing in front of the fireplace. She held a large wooden spit, and on that spit, a whole wild boar was turning slowly. The skin was golden and cracked, and meat juices ran down the carcass.
"Lazy disciple." said Luna without looking at him.
Daemon stood up unsteadily. His legs barely carried him. "Ehehe, Master, you are not heartless after all!"
Luna looked at him. "Do you want to do more push-ups?"
"No, no!" Daemon raised his hands in surrender. "I never want to do push-ups again in my life."
"Go take a bath." Luna pointed to the door. "And come eat."