Soon, time began to crawl forward once more, drying the tears Imperial Doula Miriam cried over Ryu's story. Neither knew the ending to the story, but they both wordlessly accepted its importance.
Over the next few months, Ryu never left his courtyard. Although this was completely by choice, it was likely that even if he had wanted to, he couldn't have.
The situation with the Agnes Clan eventually became a story of old, but the consequence resulted in Leilani being demoted once more to the role of Third Concubine. It was no surprise that Patriarch Agnes threw yet another fit over this matter as well. Everyone knew that the former Third Concubine Selene and mother of both Princesses would be bedridden for the rest of her life, yet Leilani had been relegated beneath her?
To make matters worse, Leilani had birthed the King a son. Within the martial world, and especially within ruling Kingdoms, the value of a son far outweighed that of daughters. The act of demoting Leilani was not only a slap to her face, but a resounding one to Ryu's as well… If he cared, that is.
During this time, Ryu was in a world of his own. To those on the outside, looking in, he seemed to have given up on life entirely. He hardly spoke, he would spend days on end meditating without pause, and he even seemed to reject any modicum of love that wasn't from Imperial Doula Miriam.
Of course, his elder sisters visited him every few months when they could, but these visits grew further apart as their children grew. Ryu's little niece and nephew of course went through their own awakening ceremonies, and since this was such an important time for their growth, they could no longer leave the Sect as they willed. Although they weren't born with Earth Grade talents, they both had Black Skeletal Grades, making them far more talented than the average cultivator. In a few decades, they would soon become backbones of the Heavenly Body Sect.
As for Ryu, his days were simple. He would eat, listen to Granny Miriam's stories and meditate.
He had lived a life of darkness until now, and at first, it had been a source of pain. But now? It was an escape.
Ryu felt that the longer and more fiercely he meditated, the more real those visions of his dream became. That huge mountain, that familial piety, that first true love – it all, almost in tragic humor, felt like his.
All of these images made Ryu's own life seem like nothing more than a joke. Could his family even be called one? He suddenly felt that it made sense his heart had never been swayed by the women here, how could any of them compare to even a tenth of his pink haired goddess?
But the reality was that Ryu was awake now.
When his eyes opened, his heart shattered into pieces he still hadn't found even now. He had never felt such a fierce pain in his life… Not when his mother hurt him, not when his father abandoned him, not even when he was whipped before hundreds of spectators. That heart wrenching, soul tearing pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Him staying indoors became about more than escaping the sneering voices on the outside… It was about settling within an environment he, himself could control. Maybe if he thought hard enough, maybe if he meditated and reached a deep enough state, he could forever sink into that reality and make it his own.
He didn't know what kept him going, but a small voice in that back of his mind kept telling him that this was his last chance… His last chance to make something great of himself.
Ryu couldn't help but laugh at the voice. Even in his fanciful dream, the man who had everything still couldn't fight against Fate. He ended up attempting a second awakening only to die just like millions who had tried before him. If even that lofty figure failed – a man who was capable of far more than him – then what chance did he have?
Still, Ryu kept going. What else could he do?
In truth, he still aspired to be like the man in his dream. Although the man failed, he was still brave enough to fight against his circumstances, something that Ryu himself couldn't boast. Even so, Ryu decided to do what he could.
Through meditation Ryu's Mental Realm unknowingly grew stronger and the memories of his dream grew more vivid. His daily meditation, something he had been doing since he was a toddler, suddenly became the sweetest part of his life. It was only during those sessions that he could relive that Ryu's life – to feel as he did, to love as he did, to smile as he did.
In truth, even Ryu didn't know what path he was headed down, he could only piece things together from what he had heard…
One's Mental Realm wasn't just about seeking out energy like other paths of cultivation. In fact, Ryu didn't even know what Spiritual Qi was at this point. All he knew was that those around him often used the concept of Mental Realms and mental fortitude interchangeably. He could still remember his mother mentioning wanting to cultivate her Mental Realm to the point of Queen Tor's back when he was just three years old… Then, she hadn't been referring to energy, she had just meant a state of mind.
These ideas weren't much, but it was what Little Ryu grasped a hold of. He began to steadily grow his patience, learning to clear his mind for longer and longer periods of time. He had no purpose in mind other to sink deeper into that dream of his…
What Ryu didn't know at this point was that all the hardship he had faced in the life was steadily building a path toward something great, gradually refining and tempering his Mental Realm. Whether he would be able to grasp this opportunity would be entirely left to him.
**
As Ryu meditated as he had done all his life, the Four Kingdoms and their citizens were moving around excitedly. The first ever Co-Kingdom Coronation Game had been announced and the banners of national pride had never been risen with such ferocity and passion. Everyone from the poorest to richest man animatedly discussed the odds of victory. Soon, profiteers opened gambling establishments, accepting bets even though the event was several more years away.
However, this was when an old woman the King hadn't accounted for caught wind of the news. Or rather, he had… But, he hadn't accounted for her willingness to risk her life for a child that wasn't her own.