Ame cracks her eyes open to the room still being dark. With a soft twist, she fluffs up the pillows against the bed rest and leans comfortably against them. Ame enjoys for a few moments the soft quiet of a peaceful morning without hearing the threat of mutants in the distance or that of the nagging ticking of her alarm clock and her fellow colleagues forcibly disturbing her sleep to hurriedly finish their next objective for the upcoming daily battle. The only sound disturbing the sweet blissfully silence are the crickets chirping in the quiet morning.

Ame gently stretches her neck and begins to collect herself as she ponders her new discovery. Sen is not “normal” world after all. It is an alternative universe where Qi (an alternate source of energy) exists and the natives of the world have evolved to absorb said energy.

The supernatural beings are capable of defying the natural laws of strength and gravity. Therefore, these supernatural beings and other creatures are more than likely bending the natural laws of physics without a proper understanding of them doing so. It is also improbable for their feats to be a result of cybernetics as technology on Sen is rather primitive in comparison to modern day technology. Without any signs of any sort of modern technology, the idea of cybernetics and nanotechnology must be cast aside.

Even without the aid or development of cybernetics, drugs can be another source for physical enhancements. However, no signs have been found that Sen possesses the technology to fabricate such high-level drugs. Based on the medicine given for her own treatment, that type of knowledge will be out of the reach of medical practitioners for many centuries to come. She can thus reason that Qi is not a consequence of drugs and vice-a-versa.

Still, to achieve such extraordinary feats biologically without the aid of any cybernetics or physical enhancements is even more so impossible. This would imply something even more extraordinary: In the world of Sen, alternate evolutionary paths have opened as a direct result of evolving to absorb Qi. Viable proof exists in the form of her own eye and hair color unless an archaic ancestor was not exactly a human to begin with, which is still tangible proof of an alternative evolutionary track.

Following such a conjecture, it would be reasonable to say that muscle mass and body density must substantially increase in proportion to their strength. Or at the very least, the structure of muscle mass would be vastly different from the norm. Evolution would need to have impacted the molecular structure of DNA over several generations for the trait to fully integrate and emerge. However, a corresponding environment would be needed to catalyze such a path of evolution among humanity, an outside trigger, an extraordinary catalyst as technology is not responsible for evolution on Sen.

History of Sen cannot be taken at face value being heavily intertwined and influenced by myth and legend. But based on so many similar accounts of a fabled existence, there must be some truth to the tale. For all myths and legends are based on a grain of truth, no matter how convoluted.

“Gods,” the evolved state of humanity. Any form of contact with said evolved humans, would have been sufficient to trigger impossible evolutionary functions in humanity. Passing down more efficient forms to absorb Qi, allowing humanity to grow and eventually evolve. However, the evolved beings are zealous in guarding said knowledge.

Which proves two things, evolved beings possess further advanced technology. To become “immortal,” enzymes needed to be strengthened to keep perfect cellular production to achieve longevity and thus resolve the matter of aging. And secondly, Sen is not the only world in existence. If evolved beings did not evolve on Sen, then where is their planet or place of origin?

Ame tries to her mind away from the conjectures just made that hold powerful implications. But if gathering such power is possible, would it not be possible to save him? She flinches such dangerous thoughts away as she wipes a single drop of moisture from her cheek. It would be impossible to find the exact timeline and correct Earth. That is if she was even in the same universe. It is better to let the dead only remain in distant memory, resting in peace.

Her brows furrow as she recalls more pertinent information. First, Qi can be can categorized into 8 main elements. A good physique, meridians a trait decided by genetics gives a cultivator a greater evolutionary affinity to absorb said elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Metal. The Qi elements of Light, Darkness, and Poison are much rarer and special with Poison being the rarest of the group.

Then again, all of this is just the general outline of things and doesn’t take the matter of sub-elements into account. Those cultivators with the mastery or affinity of a sub-element are generally seen as rare talents or priceless treasures among sects. In fact, that is especially true for lightening cultivators who are said to be peerless and are guaranteed to ascend for no specific reason.

Well, fundamentally speaking, none of these elements should exist. Anyone with the knowledge of Particle-Wave Duality and of optics knows that the main difference between the array of energy types is their (wave) frequency. Despite all this, these different energy types do exist. Therefore, based on what she knows, all these types of Qi should follow a similar rule and lie within in a similar spectrum.

Hitherto, that brings an important question to light. Why is the energy known as Qi absorbed in a fragmented manner versus remaining whole? Cultivation for more than one type though shows promise, there is a greater likely hood of recoil or mishap. As Qi is circulated throughout the body much like blood, improper circulation of either strand of Qi, Qi Deviation results in internal damage, madness or death.

Though talent and comprehension of Mystic Arts, (the process chosen to cultivate eases the process of cultivation.) But even for the most talented individuals, cultivating four to five elemental affinities is the limit. Those that can successfully cultivate their affinities are rare legendary figures of immense power. But even the most talented individuals cannot exceed the limits established as anything more than 5 elemental affinities always results in madness at best and death at worst.

Therefore, it can be said be that the fault lies in the process of absorption and cultivation of Qi. The processes described within the various cultivation methods are mostly likely based on misperceptions of Qi and lack efficiency as a direct result of the absence of scientific understanding. As a result, cultivators do not find the Mystic Arts as incomplete, subsequently follow their own ideology to fill the void of unknown knowledge.

In the end, people came to follow the ideology of refining one’s Qi to only have certain particles within. While this path is not completely wrong, their misperceptions led them to treat a few important particles as impurities and have thus caused their evolutionary path to be destabilized and undermined. The potential of their cultivation methods was thus limited.

The lack of perception and understanding of atoms or electromagnetic waves is the root cause of failure. Ancient civilizations even lack the rudimentary tools that would allow for the knowledge to be discovered, the periodic table, even though these societies do possess a primitive understanding that elements are interconnected and are governed by a set of rules.

The people of Sen treat Water as its own element, but in truth, it is made of H2O which is a molecule composed of two different elements. If hydrogen is treated as “water,” then the cultivator will end up getting rid of the “wind” Qi mixed within. As a result, the properties of the purified water will change and consequently not work in an ideal fashion. This already contradicts the logic that the other inhabitants believe in and shows how erroneous their cultivation methods are.

Following said line of thoughts introducing the reason why more than five elements residing in a cultivator’s body results in death. By the time most cultivators reach 2nd level of [Mortal] Realm, their bodies already have already started the erroneous process of ridding themselves of key ingredients needed to form their “elements” due to also ridding the atomic bonds.

Thus, the physical body is left to deal with the chaotic mess of rejecting and fusing the Qi particles into an unstable/imperfect form. At that point, the efficacy and potential of the user will drastically fall because of using the “element(s)” wrongly. From then on, cultivators will forever be limited to only absorbing the element(s) that did form. Resulting in the efficacy and potential of the cultivator drastically falling and being severely hindered.

Her previous child-self had never cultivated prior to being taken, but in not doing so, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Ame sighs to herself as she ponders the conundrum presented before her. To cultivate is not necessarily a blessing but is needed for her survival.

Yet, Ame did not wish to follow such defective logic to cultivate. Then again, she could ill afford to not do so nor did she know of an alternative either. Her best option is to use her insight to create a more effective method of Qi absorption.

Morning came and finally, Ame and Sada set out for the library. As they approach the library Ame notices the gloomy appearance of Dara at the entrance. Having dwelt with such situations before, she prepares herself in body and mind.

She smiles cheerfully at Dara and walks up to him as she widens her eyes in an innocent expression. Ame then bows deeply to Dara and says, “I am deeply sorry and regret my previous foolish actions, but if you would find it in your heart to forgive my blunder, I would be most gratified.”

Dara smiles gently at Ame before solemnly bowing down on one knee and saying, “I am most grateful for the little Mistress’s great benevolence in forgiving my inexcusable actions of yesterday."

Satisfied that Dara is not too upset about yesterday’s incidents, she fixes her expression and, in a sincere tone, says, “No, thank you. But Dara, would it at all be possible to be taught how to cultivate presently? I am not sure if I will be able to successfully cultivate given my late age in starting, but I would like to try.”

Dara rises and says, "Certainly, little Mistress. It would be my honor to teach you.”

Before Dara can move, Ame swiftly adds, “Also if possible, could I borrow a book or two. I know it is forbidden, but I am so very behind in my studies and I want to know everything there is to know.”

Dara frowns slightly, but after several minutes of their staring into each other’s eyes, he is defeated by Ame’s expectant, childish gaze. "Very well, little Mistress. Nevertheless, please take care of the books and not mention my leeway at allowing such actions.”

Ame solemnly nods in agreement and motions for Sada to do so as well. Seeing this, Dara smiles and quietly leads them into the library and allows a few minutes for Ame to choose a few books. Ame carefully chooses various topics from history to the functions of the government and policies. Despite their relatively low number, she should try understanding her government and era more.

As for the much larger collection of cultivation manuals and scrolls, her selection included anything that seemed useful for her new studies. She even chooses a couple of the few, but high-class books and scrolls dealing with Mystic Arts and Techniques. She would first familiarize herself with content, before creating her own.

Satisfied with her selection, Ame hands Sada her choices and follows Dara out. Even if she didn’t just take one or two books, she is certain that Dara will forgive her. After all, she is a child, and more importantly if questioned, she would without hesitation pull out the guilt card.

Just as expected, upon seeing the stack of books and scrolls, Dara did look a little surprised but just shook his head ruefully in response. He then leads them to the empty field behind the manor. As Ame and Sada seat themselves, Dara launches into his speech about the proud heritage of cultivators. Two hours later, Ame starts to idly wonder if it is possible to murder a cultivator at her current level.

Perhaps, sensing Ame’s grim thoughts, Dara coughs to clear his throat. “I should still inform you: Although you are late starting your cultivation than most, this doesn’t mean that you will not succeed. Despite already being ten and of age to participate in your own Spirit Ceremony, Lord Min Hee has deemed that ye shall not participate in the ceremony until your 12th birthday. Master has deemed it wise that you first learn to cultivate, my Lady, before attempting to bond with a Spirit Being,” Dara said as Ame’s ears prick with interest at the new information.

Dara continues more excitedly, “At the ceremony, ye will be able to call out and make a contract with a spirit that resides in the Spirit Realm. If a spirit accepts thy Qi, then a spirit beast will manifest itself and become a creature of living flesh and bone. Once a spirit beast is contracted, it is for a lifetime, and for successfully bonding to a Spirit beast, the heavens will grant the spirit beast with a special gift or ability.”

Dara reassurance Ame with a smile. “However, if, for any reason, a contract cannot be made, ye can also tame or bond with any Wild Mystic Beasts from nature. Although they are difficult to tame and even result in vast quantities of Qi consumption during bonding, Mystic Beasts are powerful and useful aids in combat. The best part is…” Listening to Dara, Ame is able to summarize that even the wild animals of Sen have developed the capability to cultivate either from survival instincts or the development of some cognitive sentience. Maybe even both.

Nonetheless, they seem to be stronger than human cultivators of the same cultivation level in several aspects. Not only that, they can aim for godhood as well and are labeled with a different ranking system. We seem to rank each Mystic Beast’s cultivation from rank 1-10. A [Rank 1] Beast can roughly compare from a [Level 1] to [Level 5] human cultivator.

On the other hand, [Rank 10] Beasts match those human cultivators of the Intermediate or Late [Heaven] realm. As such, to subdue such powerful beasts, cultivators often gather together in groups to hunt a single Mystic Beast. To do otherwise would be a great risk since no normal person could take on a wild beast. The only other alternative is for one to have superior cultivation than the beast itself.

With such powerful beasts existing, one would think that humanity on Sen should be extinct. But their weakness lies much like with their counterparts on Earth, their mind. The lack of wisdom and of cultivation methods is few in comparison to humans. After all, humans have always had the advantage of a larger mental capacity and energy efficiency in comparison to the rest of the animal kingdom. And much like on Earth, though animals are stronger, humans rapidly created tools and prorogated the knowledge to ensure being the dominant species for now.

As she continues to contemplate over this new information, Dara beams at Ame and proudly says, "Are you ready to begin Little Mistress?"

Ame nods firmly at him as she stretches her cramped body. Dara seats himself across from Ame and says, ““Close your eyes, and clear your mind…… Relax yourself, and patiently try to sense the Qi between Heaven and Earth…. Upon finally sensing the Qi, draw the energy into your meridians……… Focus on the one(s) with the most familiarity, and ignore the rest…. Focus on drawing the Qi inside you towards your dantian…."

Ame closes her eyes and follows the spoken instructions. Hours go by, yet Ame does not sense much of anything. Rather than feeling frustrated, Ame is certain that her thoughts on Qi are not wrong.

Tired and hungry, Ame opens her eyes and flops onto her back as the soft green grass enfolds her. She stretches her limbs in all directions as Dara laughs at the humorous spectacle. At Sada’s raised brow, Dara excuses himself as he chuckles back to the library.

Ame smiles faintly to herself as she rises to her feet, followed by Sada. After a day of studying and reading, she is certain she will gain insight to her problem. Without further ado, they return to Ame’s quarters to study and eat.

*

The thin elegant man stands at the window of quarters and stares out into the city of Chiseong down below. Though it is night, the city is still full of life and nighttime activities. The elegant man smoothly clasps his hands behind him as he studies the cities movement.

The soft rustle of footsteps is heard as a figure appears in the doorway. A finely dressed servant wearing the garb of a messenger comes to halt behind the still figure and kneels as he carefully holds out a letter to the still figure.

The messenger reverently says, “I greet the Mayor of Chiseong, Lord Jin Sin, having come to deliver a message of vital importance.”

Lord Jin Sin fluidly turns around and ignores pleasantries as he takes the message in hand. He then swiftly reads the message as his fingers slightly betray him and tighten around the message. Lord Jin Sin returns to his previous position of staring into the city as he holds the note in his hands.

The messenger raises his gaze and hesitantly asks, “Lord Jin Sin?” However, if one glances into the messenger’s eyes, a very faint a hint of scrutiny can be detected betraying the seemingly weak appearance. He will likely report his observations and analysis on the trustworthiness and obeisance of Lord Jin Sin’s behavior and actions.

Lord Jin Sin firmly says, “Please convey my most sincere apologies for my callous actions. Please assure him that I understand my current standing in his majestic sight. I will act per his wishes from now on and refrain myself accordingly.”

The messenger bows silently before departing swiftly once more.

Upon the messenger’s departure, Lord Jin Sin crumbles the letter in his hands into pieces and narrows his eyes purposefully into the distance in the direction of the Min household. His lips purse in annoyance as he berates himself. He was much too reckless in taking the child to only to lose her. Worse yet, in the end, the child safely returned once more to Min Hee, and lost quite a few of his men for nothing.

Lord Jin Sin’s eyes glitter with mixed emotions at the mere thought of Min Hee. A grim smile appears on his face as he stares aloofly into the distance. It is no matter; he will abide patiently this time and wait for the bait to be taken. He has plenty of time for the noose to slowly tighten around Min Hee of its own accord.