Chapter 25: Cultivation

Kivara directed him to sit in front of the energy in a lotus position. And then, as he had done when he took the aura from dead bodies, he should take the energy from the monster as well, directly into his Sigil.

Riven did. He stretched his hand forward and then willed it to himself. It was as if the energy was ready, and it leaped towards his hand, curling around it like smoke.

The chill that came with it made his bones shiver and his body jerk, but all that was forgotten as it slammed into his Sigil, filling it up in an instant.

The rest spilled over, and it was as if Riven was looking at his Sigil from above. It stood there, spinning gently, partially covered by deep darkness that he could not pierce.

But that was not his concern. He could hear Kivara’s voice sinking into his subconscious. “Control the energy. Imagine a hand or anything, and begin to mold the spilling energy into the shape of stars. Do not worry, your mind already wants to shape it.”

Immediately, Riven imagined his sister’s hand. Not when it was bloody and cut, but when she would go into the forest and carve him different wooden weapons with knives.

But this time, she would not be making wooden swords. She would be making stars.

Slowly, bit by bit, he took the energy and began to mold it into what he wanted. It was not simple, of course, because the energy did not want to be moved. It wanted to stay put. But mold it he did, and finally, he heard a loud clicking sound in his head, and a translucent star floated around his Sigil.

The sight filled Riven with so much joy that he nearly lost control of his energy, but his will clamped tight on it. No way was he going to mess things up after everything he went through to get where he was now.

He took his remaining energy and began to forge his remaining stars. It was easier now. Maybe it was because he had done one already, or as Kivara said, the mind knows what it wants.

He did not know how long it took, but he saw the four stars around his Sigil, floating gently. Then, without much effort, he simply… collapsed the stars into his Sigil.

But what he felt was not that simple. Pain lashed him from head to toe, and his mind snapped away from his Sigil. He realized that he was still sitting in his lotus position, but now he was covered in green and purple aura that carried bitter coldness.

Kivara moved away from him. “Control it! You can stunt your growth if you let anything go wrong. Stabilize it and do not let the stars become part of the Sigil. Remember, they are just containers!”

Riven heard her, but the pain he was feeling was so distracting. His bones seemed to be changing somehow, as if something was carving them.

He heard different sounds in his head. They howled in his mind—a chorus of weeping and the screaming of pain, all twisted together into something that clawed his head.

His skin stretched, and black sweat began to seep from his pores.

Riven gritted his teeth, reminding himself that he had felt pain even worse than the one he was currently feeling.

He stabilized the energy by not thinking of the pain he was feeling. He made himself emotionless. The stars separated from the Sigil. They were now empty, but his Sigil radiated with power. It was far different from before. He could feel the amount of energy he could now store.

And he felt the initial increase in his passive abilities. He had regained his four resurrections.

Then the energy in his Sigil, located in his heart, began to spread. Using his natural veins, it pushed aura through the rest of his body, strengthening him with a wave of calm energy.

Riven opened his eyes. His purple eyes were glowing, and his jaw slackened as he looked around. “Wow.”

Colors were sharper, and he could see farther than before. He hurried to his feet, and what might have been a clumsy moment was smooth and graceful. He felt refreshed.

“I can run forever,” he said in wonder, checking himself. Although there was not any noticeable difference, his skin was tougher and smoother, but Riven had also gained a pale luster.

Kivara laughed, and it was one of her genuine ones. “Do not try to run forever, you will die. But then, you are a necromancer, somewhat, so maybe you can still continue running after your body rots away.”

Riven grimaced at the thought of that—his body running as a rotted corpse, and then he revives and continues again and again.

Kivara walked closer to him and nodded. “Welcome to the world of the Aura practitioners.”

“Thank you,” Riven said solemnly. More than anything else, he wanted Ysmera to be there to see him. But still, he shared a small smile with her. “Thank you, Kivara.”

She cleared her throat and looked away from him. “Well, there are some things you should know. Do not let your Sigil ever entirely run out of aura. It damages it. And, you should learn to cultivate regularly.

“Naturally, our body will take in aura on its own, but it would take time to fill. Cultivating is the foundation to advancement. It is like sharpening a sword. Do you only sharpen the sword when you want to fight? So you must cultivate anytime, even if your Sigil is already full.

“And the best way to cultivate, to continuously prepare yourself for advancing, is to cultivate in an area rich with your type of aura. Quality ones.”

Riven nodded, but his eyes were on the book in front of him. He was eager to learn what he could do—what type of technique he might be able to pull off.

Kivara noticed his expression and gestured. “Alright, go on.”

Riven started to bend to get the book, but it leaped into the air by itself and hovered in front of him, flipping to the rank two page. He began to read aloud.

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