Alex woke up in a dark cave, with only a faint beam of light coming from a slit in the roof. As his eyes adjusted, he realized the cave was large enough for a grown man to stand upright. The cold, stony floor and jagged walls gave the place a rugged, eerie feel.
Where am I? he wondered. Then the mories ca flooding back—and he began to cry. His little sister ,only three years old, had died. He sobbed uncontrollably until exhaustion overca him and he drifted into sleep.
Hours later, hunger and thirst overtook him. He searched the cave for food and water and found a small puddle of water at the far end. He drank from it, then looked for anything edible. Nearby, he found so strange plants growing close to the puddle—green leaves laced with golden veins. Despite the survival training his father had given him since the age of three, Alex didn't recognize the plant.
Cautiously, he took a small bite of a leaf and waited. After five minutes, when nothing happened, he began to eat more, eventually consuming all the plants near the puddle. He then drank more of the clear, blue water. But when he stood up, pain surged through his body—it felt like sothing was tearing him apart from the inside.
He thrashed and stumbled, falling against the wall beside the puddle. The wall collapsed, and Alex lost consciousness atop the rubble. Even in his unconscious state, he writhed in pain like a fish out of water.
Eventually, he woke with a groan. Every part of his body ached—it felt like he'd been crushed. Sitting up with difficulty, he waited for the pain to subside. His body was covered in black blood and a sticky, stinking black tar.
Looking toward the collapsed wall, he was stunned. In front of him was a vast chamber, illuminated by a shimring waterfall that flowed into a small lake, golden fish visible in its waters. A majestic tree stood nearby, bearing red and golden fruits. Lush plants grew all around the lake. In the cave wall behind the tree, there was what looked like a door.
Alex gasped when he saw the tree. It resembled the mythical *Golden Fruit Tree*—a legendary plant from children's stories. It was said that whoever ate its fruit would beco the strongest in the world.
Drawn by curiosity, he approached the mysterious door. What he saw inside shocked him even more: a bed, bookshelves, and a study table bathed in sunlight streaming from a crack in the jagged ceiling. A skeleton sat in the chair before the table, a book open in front of it.
Alex stepped closer and picked up the book. Its cover was made of a strange kind of leather. He began to read:
"Hello. This is the year 3150. I found this cave after being poisoned by a Red Snake. Its venom can only be treated using the golden fruits of the Old Mother Tree. I located the tree, but it was only 500 years old. At that age, it can only prolong life for a few years using its leaves.
I have one year left. The poison has spread throughout my body and will reach my heart soon. People call "The Great Dark Sage" for I have mastered the dark elent. I tried to fuse the Red Snake's poison with my elental power but failed.
To whoever finds this book—I have left instructions to complete the rging of Red Snake poison with the dark elent.
First, you must remake your body's constitution. Eat the leaves of the plants near the lake, then drink its water.
Warning: Do not eat more than two golden-veined leaves—you could die. (Oh, I guess I already did that, huh?)" Alex muttered aloud, realizing what had caused his earlier agony.
"Repeat the process after five days, for a total of three tis.
Do not attempt this if you're older than ten years. It will kill you.
Once the process is complete, take four golden fruits from the tree and the vial from the desk drawer.
Here cos the crucial step: drink one drop of the Red Snake poison. When you feel the poison reaching your heart, eat one fruit. Repeat this four tis.
Alex was only seven years old now. His first goal was to find his father. After eating the golden fruits and washing himself, he rested on the bed. Once he had regained so strength, Alex returned to the small cave where he had first woken up. There, he found the ring his father had always worn.
The ring was dark gold with a black gem, and the letter "V" was inscribed on it. Alex knew that his father had inherited the ring from * "his" father before he died. As Alex picked it up, golden letters erged from the ring and floated in the air before him:
"Son, I'm truly sorry for leaving you alone in this world. I wasn't able to protect Anna, but I'm grateful I was able to protect you.
My son, you must be strong—strong enough to survive this cruel world. Live a long and happy life.
Anna and I will be watching over you. Goodbye, my son."
Alex fell to his knees and began to cry. After five minutes, he wiped away his tears and said with determination, "I will beco the world's strongest sage. I promise you, Father. I will take revenge on those beasts—I'll erase them from the earth."
He stood up and returned to the large cave. There, he began eating the golden-veined leaves near the lake. He ate only two and drank so water, but nothing happened for half an hour. Impatient, he ate three more leaves and drank again—and then it began.
The pain was unbearable—bone-crushing. Alex struggled to remain conscious, but after an hour, the pain overwheld him and he passed out.
He woke up to moonlight shining through the crack in the cave ceiling. His body was covered in dried blood and sticky black tar. He walked to the lake and washed himself, then returned to the cave room.
Looking for sothing to wear, he found nothing. With no choice, he remained naked. He noticed that his body had changed—it was no longer thin and fragile. His muscles were more defined, and he had grown taller.
Alex began reading the books about the dark elent. He knew he had an affinity for it due to his Veylor family bloodline, though he had never practiced it before. As he flipped through the pages, he found basic information about elental power.
Humans have elental power within their blood. Elental energy is absorbed through the lungs and enters the left side of the heart. From there, it travels throughout the body and rges with the blood. Once the elental power reaches every part of the body, it strengthens muscles, bones, and organs. The remaining energy returns to the right side of the heart and forms a circle. Each type of elental energy creates its own circle.
A beginner elental has one circle. A master has three. A grandmaster has six. Nine circles make a saint. Twelve circles make a sage. If one surpasses this level, they beco a great sage.
Most people have an affinity with only one elent. So have two. Rare individuals may have three or even four.
To begin cultivation, one must sense the elent they are attuned to in the air and guide it into their lungs.
Following the instructions of the sage, Alex sat on the bed and began breathing in and out slowly. Due to the extrely high concentration of dark elental energy in the cave, he was able to sense the elent within a day and started circulating it through his blood vessels.
After another day, a blurry circle began to form in the right side of his heart. After five days of continuous practice, Alex successfully ford his first circle.
He had beco a beginner elental.
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