Affinity: Chaos Chapter 4 - Cultivation

Martha kept staring at Grey, happiness clearly seen on her face. "Mom, what's going on" Grey inquired.

"He was right, he's lucky he didn't lie to " Martha was ecstatic

"Who was right mom, what's going on?"

Grey was nervous because of his mother's current strange behavior.

"Your Father" Martha said happily.

"Dad?" Grey raised his brow clearly still confused about everything that was going on.

"Yes Grey, your father. He told when you turned 12 years old, if you go for the test, there was a possibility you wouldn't awaken your elent" Martha slowly explained to her son.

"Wait, he knew I wouldn't have any affinity with any of the elents?" The confused Grey asked.

"Well, it can't really be said knew. But, yes, he did. According to the scroll, it would have to stay inside of you for fifteen years"

Martha continued

"Inside , I don't get it, did he put sothing inside ?" Grey still wasn't comprehending what was going on.

"Yes baby, as a newborn, you had a lot of health issues and no matter what I tried, you didn't get any better. Your father ca back from one of his adventures and seeing how unhealthy you were, he also tried his everything he could and even took you to the best healers he knew, but unfortunately, nothing worked" Martha slowly started explaining.

"So, how was I cured?"

Grey asked curiously.

He never knew he had health problems as a newborn.

"A pearl"

Martha said.

"A pearl? How does a pearl cure soone?"

Grey asked still confused.

"I'm getting to it"

Martha smiled and recounted what happened to her son.

During one of his father's adventures, he accidentally stumbled upon a ruined ancient temple. He saw a pearl with myriad colors rotating slowly in the middle of a hidden room of the temple. Beneath the rotating pearl was a scripture, after reading it, he was astounded by the information it contained. He quickly kept the pearl and the cultivation technique. Yes, cultivation technique, what he thought to be a scripture was a cultivation technique.

He rembered the feeling he got from the pearl and was certain it wasn't fake. The description of the cultivation technique was unique, it stated that once one assimilates with the pearl after fifteen years, they would be able to wield all elents.

Seeing this, he wanted to cultivate it, but alas, there was a catch to it. First, the pearl can only assimilate with a body that hasn't awaken any elent yet. And it would need fifteen years before completing assimilating with the body.

He sadly kept the pearl and cultivation technique when he realized there was no way he could use it. He got ho a week after Grey's birth and realized the situation his son was. After trying everything he could but there was still no way to save him, he placed all his hope on the pearl.

If the pearl has such a monstrous ability to give soone the ability to train all elents, then saving soone wouldn't be impossible.

Martha refused the idea when he brought it up, which mother would allow an unknown pearl to be placed in her baby?

But after her husband persuaded her and seeing there was nothing they could do to save Grey, she gritted her teeth and accepted it. Two days later, her baby was as healthy as he rightly should be.

Although she still took Grey to take part in the test, she didn't know if he would awaken his elent then. She also hoped there was a possibility he would awaken an elent, but unfortunately, he didn't.

The notion of telling Grey about ca to her when she saw how depressed he was after the test, but then again, what if after he reached fifteen years of age he didn't awaken any elents? What would she tell him then? He would be even more traumatized than when he didn't awaken it at the age of twelve.

Even she was starting to lose hope when there wasn't any difference in him after he passed fifteen, the scroll stated Grey should use physical exercises to hone his body which he had been doing for almost three years now. So, it was understandable she started feeling fearful about it.

Grey sat down stunned by what he was hearing.

"But, why didn't you tell earlier?"

He asked.

"When you passed fifteen did you awaken your elent then?"

Martha asked.

Grey shook his head.

"I know it seems like a flimsy excuse, but if I told you sothing was placed inside of you and you wouldn't awaken your elent by twelve rather by the ti you turned fifteen, you wouldn't believe since it was known everywhere that one can only awaken their elents by twelve although there are a few late bloors, it can't be predicted from birth. Maybe after the test, you'll start feeling what I said was true, but what about after you turned fifteen? Then what? Even I was starting to lose hope"

Martha said calmly.

Hearing Martha's explanation, Grey knew she was right. There was no way he would have believed it if she told him he wouldn't awaken his elent by twelve.

When he thought of all the possible heartaches his parents must have gone through due to his sickly nature as a newborn, he felt grateful to them. At least they didn't give up hope, even when it ant placing their last hope on a pearl with unknown origins, at least they just wanted to save their child.

Although the thought of it being fake and probably killing him passed through his mind, he rembered what his mother said at that ti, he was dying anyway.

After so ti, he imdiately thought back to what he heard.

"Yes, not just any ordinary Elentalist, but one who controls all elents," Martha said while holding Grey's hand in joy.

'Control over all elents' It kept ringing in his ear.

"How can soone have control over all the elents," Grey asked with shock.

"I don't know baby, but what I do know is that your dad will never lie to , and will not do anything to harm you too," Martha said.

"Wait here," Martha ran into her room and brought an ancient scroll out. She looked at Grey before handing it over to him.

"Study it closely," She said after Grey collected the scroll.

Grey took the scroll from her still not knowing what to do. He studied the scroll closely before opening it. Then he looked at it with great curiosity.

The scroll showed him the exact way of cultivating the technique. Without the pearl, anyone can have the technique but will never be able to cultivate the technique.

Grey finally cald his thoughts. 'No wonder mom was so confident. It truly is worth it' Grey thought happily.

Grey felt like he had regained sothing. It was a desire, the desire to grow strong. Ever since he was little, he had always wanted to be the strongest, but that desire died at the ti of the test. But now, the fire is suddenly reignited, and the fire was burning stronger than ever.

"I can finally cultivate, I will definitely work hard" Grey clenched his fists tightly

Grey rushed to his room as he couldn't wait anymore to start cultivating. He had waited for so long and now, finally, he can start cultivating.

Martha looked at Grey hurrying inside and did nothing to stop him. She knew just how badly he wanted to be an Elentalists. She felt happy for him, now he can start his rise to the top. She knew it won't be easy as he will face a lot of obstacles, but she believed he will definitely be able to overco them. He already overca one of such obstacles in his journey, and it was also one of the hardest.

Grey went inside and imdiately tried entering a ditative state, so he can clearly follow the pattern of the technique.

He sat in a lotus position and stayed motionless to try to calm his mind. After 10 minutes, he finally got into a ditative state. He followed the instructions said in the scroll. He tried searching for the energy in his body, it took him close to an hour before finding it, of course after failing several tis.

"Found it, now for the second step" Grey was thrilled on managing to find the energy.

Now the next step was to move the energy in a particular pattern in his body, he has to repeat the cycle 10 tis to get his body accustod to it.

Grey tried the first ti and failed to even move the energy from its current location. He didn't give up though, he didn't give up when he found out he didn't have any elental affinity, talk less of now that he can cultivate with having an affinity with all elents.

He tried again, which also failed. He kept on attempting it for the rest of the night with no progress. By the ti he got totally exhausted, it was almost dawn. He collapsed on the floor and fell asleep there and then. His body was totally worn out from all the attempts.

By the ti he woke up, it was already midday. He felt pain all over his body and was still exhausted. If a normal Elentalists tried what he did, they wouldn't be able to get out of bed for a week. The cultivation technique took a great toll on the human body.

"No wonder it required such strict physical training before one can start cultivating it, if it were my previous physique before I started training, I would not have been able to get out of bed for a month" Grey exclaid when he felt the aches all over his body.

The process continued for another 2 days before Grey started making small progress. He was finally able to move it, albeit a little, it was still sothing. He was so happy but also felt sore all over his body for his little progress. Due to his strong training, he was able to withstand pain more than others because he wrecks his body almost every day in the training session.

After another week, he was already able to complete one cycle, he felt excited when he imagined himself using the different elents and couldn't help but laugh in his bed. He couldn't laugh properly because of all the pain his body was going through.

During the process of the second cycle, Grey felt the pain increased a bit. He was already starting to get used to the pain then it increased.

"Hiss" Grey hissed in pain while midway of the circulation.

"I can't continue like this, this pain will probably kill before I complete the circulation. I need to co up with a way to reduce it" The pain was already getting almost unbearable for him. He had to quickly think of a way, else he would go on pause then continue so other ti. But, he didn't want that.

"I will head out to train tomorrow, it's been a while I trained," Grey said. He had already gotten used to training his body, and these days he had focused fully on cultivation, he had sowhat missed it.

Grey stopped the circulation and went to sleep. He will wake up early tomorrow to go for a long training session.