Elemental Mark

Staring at the distant, firefly-like ball of light, Kanni let out a deep breath, his face blank. Doubting himself, he said, "Is that really an elemental source? Am I dreaming?"

No sooner had he spoken than he felt the flesh of his right arm briefly pinch together. The resulting nerve spasm sent a jolt of pain through him, and he sucked in a sharp breath before it subsided.

"It's real. You're not dreaming," Ma Linya said, her eyes seeming to light up her entire face.

She pushed off on her toes and ran swiftly forward. The others followed, and after muttering a complaint, Kanni ran after them as well.

Standing before the ball of light and feeling the ripples of energy it gave off, Ma Linya looked at Zeng Mu with gratification in her eyes. "Nameless, congratulations."

Still unsure where this ball of light had come from, Zeng Mu looked bewildered. "Congratulations? What for?"

"For your good fortune in getting this elemental source." After making sure he was unharmed, she returned her gaze to the hovering ball of light.

"I'm not really sure what an elemental source is," Zeng Mu said, scratching his head.

William stepped forward, staring unblinkingly at the golden light. "I'd say this young pup has all the luck. He doesn't even know what an elemental source is, and he gets one anyway. It's like some teenage boy getting to take the virginity of a mature, alluring woman. Makes you jealous."

He turned toward Zeng Mu and asked, "Nameless, was this your first time killing an Elemental Beast?"

Zeng Mu nodded. "Of course."

William tilted his face skyward and sighed softly. "Looks like I should add 'barely even sprouted any hair' before 'teenage boy.'"

"Enough, William. Do you really have to make such a fuss? Come on, explain it to Nameless," Aikimu said cheerfully, supporting Yetos.

A chilly breeze had risen unnoticed, stirring apart the black night sky and revealing glimpses of a silver crescent moon and scattered stars.

"An elemental source is a miraculous treasure that has a chance of appearing when an Elemental Beast dies. Regardless of its level or rank, the chance is one in a hundred thousand. It's called a treasure because humans can absorb it. Once the body assimilates the elemental energy inside, even someone without the slightest talent in their bloodline can become an Elementalist!"

After hearing William's brief explanation, Zeng Mu forgot to breathe.

Only after what felt like a very, very long time did he draw a sharp breath. "You can become an Elementalist just like that?"

"Of course. But only the person who dealt the killing blow to the Elemental Beast can absorb its elemental source. Anyone else would gain nothing from absorbing it. Besides, an elemental source lasts no more than half an hour before its energy disperses. Getting one really is a matter of chance, not something you can seek out," Xibizete said, even his normally cold eyes seeming to smile.

Kanni walked over. "Nameless, stop standing there like an idiot. Hurry up and absorb that elemental source. Its energy might disperse the very next second, and then you'll have nowhere to go and cry."

Following his advice, Zeng Mu sat cross-legged on the ground. Ma Linya reminded him softly, "All right, close your eyes now. Clear your mind. Don't think about anything, don't dwell on anything. Just like going to sleep."

With her soft murmurs guiding him, Zeng Mu soon entered that state. At the same time, the golden ball of light hovering and circling above the ground slowly drifted toward him as though drawn by some guiding force. Before long, it hovered over his head, turning like a miniature sun and emitting strands of swirling radiance.

The others then positioned the unconscious Yetos behind Zeng Mu, sitting him in the same posture.

William dusted off his hands. "The Knight Commander is lucky. With injuries like his, a full recovery would normally take at least three to five days. Now, thanks to Nameless, he'll be healed overnight."

"That's not all," Ma Linya added. "When an elemental source is absorbed, it releases an extremely dense concentration of elemental energy particles. These particles of light are invisible to the naked eye and offer ordinary people little benefit, but they're enormously beneficial to Elementalists who possess elemental power. Internal injuries, external wounds, even mental exhaustion can heal and recover rapidly through them. Even the best Elemental Medicine I can currently prepare can't compare."

Looking at Zeng Mu with his eyes closed, Kanni said, "I wonder if Nameless can pull it off. I've heard absorbing an elemental source is excruciatingly painful, beyond what an ordinary person can endure. Any mistake can cause the transformation into an Elementalist to fail, and apparently leave some serious aftereffects." He sounded uncertain. Such rumors were scarce, after all, and no one knew whether they were true.

"At this point, it's all up to him. Nameless is a remarkable fellow. I think he can endure it," Xibizete said solemnly.

"Absorbing an elemental source can take varying lengths of time. It might only take one night, or it might take several days. He mustn't be disturbed during the process, or the transformation will fail immediately," Ma Linya said, her gaze serious.

Aikimu folded his arms. "Don't worry. I'll stay here and guard him until the little fellow finishes his transformation."

Kanni agreed. "I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'll stay right here. I think the brat can do it."

William and Xibizete exchanged a flicker of a glance and were about to speak when Ma Linya cut in. "You've both just been through a fierce battle and are exhausted in body and mind. Please return to camp and rest. If the enemy takes this opportunity to attack while we're without our leaders, Sand City will be in grave danger."

Hearing her say that, the two could only abandon the idea. Each left a few customary words before turning to leave.

"Sorry for the trouble tonight." With that, Ma Linya also disappeared into the night of Cold Radiance.

In the square, a swirl of golden light hovered over the foremost figure, with another man sitting cross-legged behind him and two more seated on either side of that man. Two unconscious and two awake, the four sat motionless like yellow clay statues. In all of Sand City, now sunk into dreams, it seemed only those two remained awake.

The night deepened, and the ground grew colder, yet Kanni and Aikimu felt no chill beneath them. The energy of the light particles radiating from the ball, now noticeably larger than before, not only blanketed all the cold rising from the ground but also shut out the icy wind sweeping through the air.

It was an extraordinarily comfortable night. Their surroundings were utterly still, the temperature perfectly pleasant, neither cold nor hot. It felt as though the entire world had fallen silent, leaving only the four of them there.

"Ahh..." Kanni yawned and rubbed his stubbornly drooping eyelids, doing his best to stay awake.

Aikimu struggled with the same drowsiness, repeatedly scratching his face to wrench his awareness back whenever it approached the edge of dreams.

Neither man had been idle since arriving in Sand City, especially Aikimu. He had been responsible not only for training the knights but also for the city's military defenses. Already weary in body and mind, he found himself even less able to obey his brain after tonight's great battle. Everything below his neck remained steady, but his head swayed dizzily like a heavy scale weight, repeatedly battering his struggling consciousness.

Even Aikimu and Kanni, two outstanding, battle-hardened warriors, ultimately lost the fight against sleep.

Perhaps because they were so exhausted, their lips parted slightly as soon as they closed their eyes and fell asleep. Air from their lungs set their vocal cords vibrating, and snores followed.

The snores were not particularly loud, but they came rapidly. The two men's snores followed one another without an audible gap, no different from summer cicadas. Had Zeng Mu been awake, he would surely have muttered, "Damn, those power-drill snores are giving me a headache."

A green glow lit up Yetos's forehead as his eyes remained closed. The glowing mark was not quite emerald, but it was indeed absorbing the wood element energy between heaven and earth. His elemental mark was operating on its own to protect him.

Little by little, the blood on his wounds clotted. His face lost its pallor, and his lips changed from purple to dark red. The air of decline surrounding him faded as well, replaced by a welcoming vitality, like a green shoot emerging from the earth and stretching beneath the spring rain.

The golden ball of light that had circled above Zeng Mu's head had now spread out completely into a halo. The flickering particles of metal-element light within it illuminated his face with a dazzling brilliance.

Dimly, a familiar hissing sounded beside his ears. Though faint, it carried an unforgettable weight for Zeng Mu.

The hissing grew louder and louder, accompanied by a rhythmic pulse and the scrape of sand and stone. It was several times more grating than chalk scraping across a blackboard. Under the torment of that sound, Zeng Mu finally woke.

The moment he opened his eyes, a jolt shot through his brain-the instinctive reaction to a fright.

Before him shone a radiant halo, and within its ring was a small golden snake, shaped exactly like the Yellow Sand Diamondback Snake.

A closer look revealed that its eyes were gray. This was not a mixture of black and white, but a peculiar gray resembling the color of nothingness.

Its mouth was open, spilling golden particles of pure energy. The shining light came from its scales, while the hissing came from the quivering red tongue extending from its mouth.

"Hey, little fellow," Zeng Mu ventured softly. But it seemed not to hear him and gave no response, continuing just as before.

It was then that Zeng Mu felt his body begin to heat up.

The heat first spread from the soles of his feet, then traveled upward through his muscles and blood vessels. His thighs burned bright red, his belly churned, and his internal organs throbbed violently, struggling desperately as though trying to leap free of the current of heat.

His neck, his ears, his entire face-every inch of skin turned crimson.

Breathing ceased. Or rather, swept up in that magma-like torrent of heat, Zeng Mu fell into a state of suffocation akin to suspended death.

A second?

A minute?

An hour?

He could not tell. He had no idea. Dazed, he could only faintly hear the rushing sound in his ears.

Death. What a terrifying word, so quiet and beautiful. In the past, Zeng Mu could have racked his brains and still never imagined the meaning it held. Now, he was certain he stood only an inch away from it, far from sorrow and joy, far from grief, far from the world, far from everything, within reach...

Am I going to die just like this? he asked himself quietly within his consciousness.

After what seemed like a long time, that voice rose from within and sounded beside his ears again. No. This is only the beginning.

His lips and teeth clenched tightly, his veins bulged, and his entire body trembled. He held nothing back, like a dying eagle beating its wings in one final attempt to soar into the sky.

The little golden snake circling within the halo swam forward and, together with a strand of golden light, touched Zeng Mu's forehead. Then it grew shorter and shorter, leaving a golden mark that gradually took shape upon his brow.