Chương 22: Frostveil

After one hell of a day, Ren sent the armor back into his heart, stripped down, and plopped into his bed, having decided to sleep with windows fully open. The soft moonlight caressed his skin. It didn't take long before sleep caught him unaware, pulling him deep under its water. It began with warmth. Always with warmth. The scent of cheap curry. Wet socks drying on a heater. The distant hum of cartoons echoing from an old TV. Ren stood in the common room of the orphanage. He was smaller again.

Fifteen, maybe sixteen. A soft hoodie hanging off his shoulders. Calluses on his palms, scabs on his knuckles— just the results of frequent matches. And around him— his siblings. Laughing. Play-fighting. Tired. Hungry. But safe. Lina sat cross-legged, scribbling in a notebook. Aleks was practicing his kicks in the corner, while little Pınar was picking raisins out of someone else's cookie. A ragtag bunch of misfits. He smiled. The real kind. The kind he hadn't worn in years. Then— a knock at the door.

He knew what came next. His dreams never missed a point. Rain. It always began to rain right after that knock. The walls cracked, the floor peeled, the warm room melting into wet pavement. He stood now in an alley behind the orphanage. The scent of garbage and rain-soaked cigarettes filled the air. A boy sat on the ground in front of him— Aleks, bruised, blood on his cheek, eyes wide with betrayal.

"You said you'll take my revenge, dammit!" he shouted, his words slurred as two of his front teeth were missing.

"Not bow to them like a pathetic dog!" Behind him, Lina stared from the fire escape, clutching her torn sleeve.

"Why the hell did you make peace with them, bro?" Pınar screamed, launching herself onto Ren. Her little fists bombarded his chest.

"They tried to rape Luna! Rape, you idiot, rape! And you went to lick their ass?!"

"Heh, he might offer her to them before they ask now. He became their precious hunting dog, after all." Aleks snorted in disdain, his gaze spewing flames. Ren's hands trembled. It hurt. Their every word pierced through his heart. He wanted to scream, 'I would never do such a thing! If it is necessary to protect you, I would gladly forfeit my life, let alone bow my proud head.' He had done that already. Yet they didn't take it kindly. The root of the problem? His powerlessness. His, and no one else's.

He could've fought, yes. He could've crushed them. A few common thugs were nothing in front of his fists. And even if he lost, a little bit of pain wasn't something unfamiliar. But they would've come back with knives. With guns. The orphanage would've burned. Nobody would care. So instead— He shook hands with the devil. The rain fell harder. Cold. Unforgiving. As if countless tiny blades were stabbing his skin. Lina turned away. Aleks spat blood at his feet. Pınar cursed before turning harshly on her heels.

Then— New faces. Blurred in the rain. Smaller figures. Exactly three of them. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Ren dropped to his knees, water soaking his chest, seeping into his very being. Who… are they? He wanted to ask, but the idea of knowing… it was scarier. The rain stopped. And in the stillness, just before waking— He heard a voice, but couldn't pick out any words. … Ren woke up with the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. The moonlight stretched across his chest like a scar.

Grasping at his hand, his nails scratched the skin.

"Fucking hell…" he muttered amidst his gasping, struggling to sit up. Wet with sweat. Or maybe tears. It was hard to tell. The wind stirred the curtains, carrying the faintest scent of wet soil along with the soft pattering.

"As if one past isn't enough, two pasts are haunting, huuh…" He ran a hand through his hair, his breath scraping like shoving glass pieces down his throat. Cursing a little, he threw himself to the outside. The light drizzle kissed his skin, flesh so hot it hissed like an overworked engine. He expected not everything to go smoothly— not on the first day of accepting such a huge responsibility— but this? This was a mess. A total trainwreck.

"One step forward, three backwards." The water gently nudged him to awake. He walked to the backyard's center with mechanical movements. He didn't linger on the thoughts. He didn't want to. Instead, he threw a punch into the air. Then another. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Something old stirred— unrefined, even unfamiliar. Something from before all this. Boxing. Just good old boxing. No spiritual energy. No legendary technique.

Just footwork and fists, raw and simple. Punches flew, twisting air, splashing raindrops. His feet circled instinctively, grounding him. Jab, cross, step back, duck, uppercut— again. His breath synced with the rhythm. The ache in his chest dulled. The rain cooled his thoughts. Let him breathe. Left. Right. Pivot. Breathe. No sect. No system. No past. No 'bigger picture'. Just him and him alone. And that was enough.

He forgot about Guan's threat, Master Xue's schemes, Second Elder's petty tricks, his Master's stance, the huge responsibility of taking disciples, the fate of the sect, Ancestor's wish, the system's antics, Baozhai's— He stopped. Damn, that's a freaking long list. He kept going until the drizzle faded into mist and the sun finally began to rise behind the mountain peaks. A soft cough broke the quiet.

"…Are you fighting with the rain, Senior Brother?" Ren blinked, stopping mid-punch. He turned, panting, to see Liuxue, standing in the guest room's fake balcony with her usual expression.

"You're early."

"You're loud."

"Fair enough." He ran a hand through his hair, wiping more sweat than rain at this point.

"Ready?" She nodded once.

"I am, are you?" He smirked— just a little.

"Let me hit the shower first, then it's time to taste the frostbite." Time to play another role… …

"Spiritual energy is no different than untamed horses. Wild, aggressive and invasive," Ren said, a ball of spiritual energy revolving in his hand. Liuxue sat cross-legged across him, listening closely, inhaling the earthy smell.

"Tell me, Iceberg, how does one tame them?" She remained silent. Her gaze followed every movement of the naughty serpents of energy. Smiling gently, Ren answered.

"By your will." The ball suddenly popped, and the caged serpents frantically escaped from him. Yet one glare was all it took to gather them back obediently.

"What's this will exactly?" Liuxue asked, frowning.

"You desire to shape the world around you, its nature aligned to your thoughts and innate temperament. If you carry positive emotions, then your will would be a gentle, nudging force, while if all you desire is nothing but destruction, then that force become coercing. Find your nature first, and then learn how to resonate it with the spiritual energy." Noticing she delved into thoughts, Ren couldn't help but remember his soul brother's first lesson, the memory sliding into his mind like a high-quality film…

"Tell me, Ren, how does one persuade the wind to change its course or a river to calm its currents?"

"By my will!"

"Yes, by will. But will, my child, is not what you imagine it to be. It is not a shout in the storm, nor a hand clenched in anger. Will is the silent echo of your soul aligning with the energy. To wield it is not to impose, but to resonate."

"Um… I can't understand. It's confusing. I shouted at those unruly snakes just like my father reprimands our dog when it's naughty, and they followed! But… it hurt my hands," muttered the child, scratching his head. A glimmer of amusement passed the old man's eyes, and he clicked his tongue, "When you demanded, the energy obeyed not out of respect, but of reflection— it mimicked your aggression. Imagine this: if a stranger rains orders upon you, would you yield, or would you resist?

The spiritual force is much the same."

"I would kick him back! And if he dares to touch me, I can call father or you, master."

"Huh… did I make a mistake by bringing him here?" whispered the old man. Still, he took a deep breath as if to protect his wise image.

"Spiritual energy, too, has its own nature. It is neither foe nor servant. If you wish it to move with you, you must first understand it, just as one befriends the wind by knowing its caress. Only then, when you become one with its essence, will the sharpness fade, and its currents flow beside you, not against you." The child nodded his head, but also pouted, whispering to himself:"Can't understand anything…" … Ren chuckled quietly.

Honestly, it was a miracle his Master still had a single hair on his head with such a disciple. It'd take divine patience to put up with all the bullshit he spewed— and Master had it. Liuxue exhaled, and her eyes fluttered open.

"I think I get it, Senior Brother." She waved her hand toward the ball in his hand, her face grave as if she was running toward certain death.

"Converge," she ordered, her tone final. And the slivers of energy obeyed like well-trained soldiers listening to their queen. They left Ren's grasp in her hand, though they only sat still, instead of gathering into a ball.

"Move." They listened again— sluggishly. Some circled in place, some wandered around in her palm, and others decided that ascending, then diving, was fun. Liuxue tried other commands, even shouting once out of frustration, but she couldn't replicate that perfectly revolving ball of energy. Seeing she had no intent to give up, Ren smiled. She resembles Lina…

"Calm down." His will, boundless and domineering, erupted, enveloping both her and the ball in her hand.

"Imposing your will doesn't mean spiritual energy can understand what you want. To do that, you have to resonate your desire with their nature. Otherwise, you'll get at most a ragtag bunch just like these." Slowly guiding her, time passed. And just as the sun hit the highest point, her ball broke down into a wave of frost. A paper-thin sheen of frost, no bigger than a finger, slithered like a newborn worm along her arm— awkward, hesitant, alive. Her eyes flickered, but Ren pressed a hand on her head.

"Continue, let it explore a little— you focus on getting a sense of how it feels," he said, trying to sound as assuring as possible. He could see her body stiffening, slightly trembling even— but she stayed put. The worm wandered every inch of her hand, its movement getting smoother by the moment. It went to her left shoulder, then spread like a tide, winding through flesh and bone. Each pulse grew stronger, each inch darker, until it filled every corner of her being.

Yet it refused to climb higher than her neck, as if something terrified it. Liuxue grimaced, biting her lower lip, but she didn't let out a sound. Ren could 'see' her will poking at the worm in an attempt to subdue it, but it was futile as if a puppy barking at the majestic apex predator. Stupid, but praiseworthy. His lips curled up as he sensed the worm's anger at the latest poking, and it lashed out toward her chin, causing a sharp moan to slip out." Behave," ordered Ren, his voice cold and emotionless.

The frost that had been crawling up her jawline froze— quivered once— then slowly slithered back down her neck like a chastened kid. It looped around her collarbone, curled near her heart, and finally settled on the back of her hand, pulsing faintly with dim light. Liuxue exhaled. Long. Shaky. However, Ren frowned. It's scared of me that much, huh? He had to admit that he expected at least a few hours or even days of struggle before managing to settle the little worm as a frost mark.

But looking at it now, the mark was already halfway done. Maybe she is that suitable for the Requiem… Yeah, it must be. Otherwise, why would a divine technique settle out of fear? He shook his head with a smirk, then lifted his hand.

"Freezing time's over, Iceberg, now we burn." His aura, this time carrying a trace of Primordial's Wrath, bore down on her. The frost stirred abruptly, once again taking the worm form. Like a slumbering beast suddenly poked alive, it wriggled in place, squirming till its color turned into a deep cyan. Too much. It was too much. The frost engulfed her head fully. Liuxue's face changed— her mouth opened as if trying to say something, but only fresh blood sputtered. Come on, Iceberg, resist.

Ren's smirk vanished, replaced by a grave look. Don't let it overcome you. Like hearing his silent wish, she gritted her teeth with newfound vigor. Her will emerged, her eyes opening— A black viper roared to life. Death hissed against the frost, snake versus worm fought for supremacy. Ren clenched his fists subconsciously, ready to intervene at any moment. His heart pounded in his mouth as blood continued to burst out of her mouth and even dripped down her nose, ears, and eyes.

In a few breaths, as though her body was stretched to its limits, tiny cracks appeared over the viper phantom. Yet she refused to back down, instead pushing her roots onto the worm. The worm made a sound, if one could call it that. Something miserable and alien, like it existed only halfway between reality and another dimension. For a breathless second, she just sat there, her body trembling like a broken doll. Then a violent pulse of cold erupted from her hand, the worm flaring like a dying star.

She twitched once. Twice. And went utterly still.

"Shit!" Ren moved instantly.