‘This can’t be happening’

‘Hold it together Damon’

Damon was looking for help because the reflection in front of him threated to overthrow everything and anything he knew and believed in.

I’m not a human anymore?! Why? Because I sabotaged the teleportation? Something doesn’t feel right…Why can’t I remember anything after that kidnapping incident?.....My head’s spinning and my legs are jelly….I can’t handle this, it’s too much.

Swimming against these rough waves, I can already feel my limbs and heart giving out and I can’t breathe anymore….Green eyes? Why am I so drawn to her? I get she’s beautiful…

‘Help’

Sh**! What did I just do?...Too late.

Maggie was already clutching her mother’s sleeves whispering something to her. But she held Damon’s gaze the entire time. This somehow abated the crippling panic attack he was having. The middle-aged man stood up and hushed his clan members with a wave.

“I think its established that the boy is no human; as long as he isn’t one, we can introduce him to TERESA and get his patch. It’s well past 1 at midnight and some of us have work early morning, I conclude this meeting here, until next time.”

Very soon the crowd filtered out until Damon, the middle-aged couple and Maggie remained. As they were all staring at Damon, his transformation wore of and he felt tired for some reason as if he just finished a marathon. Instantly a flash passed by everyone's eyes. The Woman spoke, “Maggie will escort you to your temporary room. You will be produced before TERESA tomorrow at 9:00. Will you comply?”

“Can I say ‘No, thank you’…..My lady?”

The woman eyed him with disapproval and headed towards the exit. Her husband trailing behind. Maggie stepped forward and stared at him with curiosity. Damon smiled.

“You know what curiosity did to the cat, Kitten”

Maggie frowned, subconsciously taking a step away from him to put some distance between them. She turned and began to walk inside. Her voice floated back, “Father and Mother are waiting. Stop wasting time.”

“See that’s where you lose me, Kitten. I thought your mother wanted me to sleep.”

‘And I can hopefully use this chance to find my sister’

When she kept walking without giving a reply, Damon held his hands behind his back, imitating the pose of the imposing and royal middle-aged man. He began taking his steps towards Maggie when he stopped. Recalling the earlier incident, Damon remembered that when he opened his eyes, he was already in front of the middle-aged couple, with no knowledge of how or when he got there. It was only now that he realized, why he was made to wear a long white robe.

‘Ahh there’s the familiar, pleasant cool breeze at night, There’s wind in my hair, there’s wind in my open chest and there’s wind (begins to sweat)…down there? Wait does that mean I was going commando in front of everyone?’

Damon once again cursed the person tending to him and moved carefully after Maggie.

“Hey, what did your mother mean by restricted area for outsiders?”

“Why do you think of her as my mother? She could be my aunt or my teacher or just someone who favors me…Don’t call me kitten and could you be a bit respectful?”

“I might look like your average pretty boy with no brains, but don’t you underestimate me, Kitten. Behind this handsome exterior beats a thunderously impressive--(When Maggie skewered him with a glare)…Brain”

“Hmmp! My mother was referring to non-cultivators when she mentioned outsiders. As for you, probably never.”

Damon frowned and stopped. “What? What is a cultivator? is that like a type of race? Similar to a Caucasian race? What, they’ve got blue skin and 6 fingers on each hand?”

Ignoring Damon, Maggie continued, “Cultivators are those who practice cultivation; wherein a person trains in martial & mystical arts, generally in order to become powerful and increase their longevity. Some are said to become powerful enough to rule an entire planet. Sweeping their gaze over everything on the planet almost as powerful as a god.”

A beautiful girl older than Maggie walked towards them. Damon spared a glance at the approaching woman and was instantly hooked. This woman seemed to be a living embodiment of a sexy fox spirit. With her oval face and almond shaped eyes, her skin as creamy and soft as butter. Her visage could hold anyone’s soul captive. Every inch of her oozed a sensual allure that filled any man who set eyes on her with the most inappropriate of thoughts.

‘Oh gods! She’s…big!’ Damon’s gaze was arrested on her chest. The woman seemed to feel his gaze on her, but instead of anger, a hint of a smile touched her lips. This smile was sensual yet provoking, just a glimpse could set fire in any heart.

“Who’s this? Don’t tell me you are cheating on mhee, Mag.”

Maggie rolled her eyes “I’m supposed to teach him cultivation. Care to join us?”

Kaori smiled as she chirped “I would love too!”

It was only when Kaori appeared before them; he noticed all the finer points he missed. Kaori was a blonde with blue eyes, sporting a small mole on the right side of her face; just above the corner of her lips. That’s where the similarity with his world ended. She was wearing what looked like a moving tattoo. With each wink of her left eye; tiny blue birds flew out of her eyes, flying on her skin, around the colorful swaying flowers under her eyes, down her cheekbones disappearing under her blond hair. The moving tattoo made the already sexy beauty look irresistible.

‘I could look at them forever. What are they?’

“Oh, do you like my new toneless makeup?” Kaori asked, when she saw Damon’s interest in them.

“Toneless makeup?” Damon asked in return. Maggie clarified, “He’s from the human world. He’s a clean slate when it comes to our world. (To Damon) This is Kaori, A witch in training; my best friend and my soul sister.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Human world has always fascinated our friend Sky. We’ll have a lot to talk about after this. And that was rude Mag, Hi! I’m Kaori and Mag’s cute ass belongs to me. As in we are seeing each other. So, NO fishing in my pond. Savvy?” gushed Kaori as she shook Damon’s hand. Maggie sighed, as if used to Kaori’s shenanigans.

Kaori proceeded to lock hands with Maggie, as a dumbfounded Damon was left with his jaw hanging. He soon followed after them, hoping Kaori was just joking, even though he still felt a tinge of pain in his hands.

Maggie said, “Don’t lag behind and get rid of that expression, my parents would think I’m bullying you or something.”

‘But I am getting bullied and how did Kaori manage to shock me without leaking a hint of magic?’

The group arrived in front of what looked like a huge backyard. Straight ahead was a circular stage; in front of a high waterfall from the mountain behind. A large green tree stood proudly beside the circular stage. The upper floors had viewing windows stacked in a semi-circle around the backyard. Damon absorbed all this like a sponge. A smile blossomed unknowingly as he breathed the fresh air and sighed at the open blue sky overhead.

“Stop staring at the Enklosre. It’s a fake sky. Stand at the center of the stage and follow my instructions to the bone.”

Damon gave Maggie a sideway glance with a smile. “One question. Would I be requested to take off my shirt?”

Maggie flushed a little as she worked on the screens floating mid-air in front of her. “That’s inappropriate and pointless.”

‘Pointless? Let’s see you keep a straight face when you ogle at my abs.’ Damon was uninterested in most things on earth except exercise; anything that kept his heart beating and chest heaving would do the trick. The result? Breathing at 14, with ropes of muscles all over my stomach. Although he had many female friends, He had no one he was genuinely interested in. Except, maybe Helen, his childhood friend and neighbor. Helen used to stick to him like glue along with his little sister. Damon looked at the two beautiful yet alien girls chatting in front of him and couldn’t help feeling sad.

‘Gosh I miss Helen’s friendly smile and sweetness. Guess I won’t be sharing forgotten textbooks and lecture notes with her anymore’

Damon made his way towards the stage with a heavy heart. Like always he started stretching and warming up. After he was done, he heard Maggie say “Alright, you can sit down and feel the Qi around you.”

Damon sat cross-legged, closing his eyes he tried to sense whatever this qi was, outside his body. Maggie watched all scales rise and fall in the screen in front of her. Kaori used her system to record the moment. Damon felt himself being scanned on the stage. Maggie took all his results without any change in change in expression. But that was not the case for everyone on the viewing floors.

“What is this? Lower insect talent and zero unblocked meridians….Sheesh even most of our servants have better talent than this.”

“Don’t be so condescending. Who knows? maybe he can connect to some higher constellation or maybe he’ll be invited by the heavens later….HA!Ha!Ha!”

“That’s some joke. Even our young miss was ignored by the heavens. As for higher constellation? He said he came from the human realm, you think someone from there, no matter how talented he is, will outdo us?”

“Look, it’s already half an hour since he started. He can’t even feel the Qi around him. What a waste of time. Young miss should just give up on him.”

Feeling the qi in the air was one of the rudimentary skills required for cultivation, something that even losers take at most 10 minutes to perform. Yet, half an hour had passed with no discernible results, Maggie frowned.

“Don’t think he can do anything without a system helping out.” She said, as she started making adjustments on the screen in front of her. Soon a screen appeared in front of Damon, showing a video of what a cultivator should do establish a foundation. Damon followed the instructions, but kept failing at the crucial moment of feeling the qi around him. But this didn’t bother Damon, regular exercise had built discipline and patience in him.

‘I can’t feel a thing outside my body except for cold air from the waterfall behind me. What if I tried to look inside my body?’

Damon took a deep breath and cast his consciousness inside. Suddenly everything changed. ‘Is this real!?’ Damon saw a large black boulder full of elegant carvings. Breath left his lungs as he laid both his hands on the bolder.

‘Took you long enough’

A flash of white light passed, as a blinding light erupted from his body. Maggie and Kaori shielded their eyes as they tried to look through the light. The same went for the occupants watching from the floors above. “Ahhh!” Damon screamed as something sprouted out of his chest. He screamed even louder as it ‘grew’ bigger and bigger until it finally detached itself from Damon. Damon kneeled powerlessly and glared at the thing through hooded eyes.

‘I had that inside me?! Why would I have a turtle inside me? Do I get my powers from this turtle?’

“Ahh! It feels great to be outside. I almost thought I would spend your entire life in there. you incompetent, little boy.” Said the white turtle with a shiny black shell. The turtle had large green eyes with a long flowing golden beard growing down his head.

Damon, Maggie and Kaori looked at it with shielded gaze. The light reflecting from its shiny shell made it hard to look at. The turtle did its own observation. A few minutes passed in silence.

“Now, how is it that two hot girls are hanging around an immature little brat?”

Damon’s lips twitched as he asked, “Who are you?”

The turtle looked at him while pulling the long luscious golden beard below its mouth. “Me? I am your Grandfather, boy. Blessed by your heavens. Come here. Kowtow and pay me respects.” (To clarify, during ancient times, The oldest one in the family always wielded the most authority in the family. So the younger ones always pay their respects, acknowledging this authority as well as their family bond.)

Damon almost laughed, “I may be only 14 this year, but I’m intelligent enough to know when I’m being scammed. So, no. Thank you.”(well, in most cultivation novels, I found that calling someone 'son of a turtle' usually means a cuckolded husband, or the son of a who**. So here the turtle can be seen as cursing not only Damon, but also his father to be a Basta**.)

The Turtle’s working hand stilled, as its green eyes shined. The air in front of Damon fluctuated and he felt a punch to his stomach. Damon grunted as he fell facedown to the ground. Everyone watched Damon making a kowtow to the turtle.

“H-How the hell did you do that?!”

“There’s a saying in your world. ‘Grandpa knows everything, so the next time he asks for some booze, you better get it.’ Well, open your eyes wide and slap your cheeks coz this is your lucky day. I am your Grandfather. Take your first lesson in the world of Romma kid, always show respect first. Is that understood?”

Damon clenched his stomach as he gritted his teeth. “What the f*** is happening?!”

The turtle continued “Cultivation is just liking wooing a hot girl. You show respect. And then you strike first. Hard and true. Giving her no chance to turn you down. Now tell me, my pitiful disciple, have you ever wooed a hot girl?”

Damon struggled through the pain as he answered, “No. I-“

“Of course not! Look at you! With a face like that. I’d stay home and try my hand at becoming a famous Memetuber.”

Damon gritted his teeth. “I am the one who gets wooed. Me. I don’t do the other way round.”

The turtle squinted, “Maybe in your human world. But here? In Romma? Girls will eat you alive and chew on your bones till there’s nothing left.”

“Wait! what? Tell me how to start on cultivation if you really are my 'grandfather'. I’m being laughed at by everyone.”

“Very well, you are right. There’s nothing you can do with that short 6 cm pencil anyway.”

“Hey!”

“I’m telling you kid, let puberty hit you and I mean really, grit your teeth, clench your butt and let puberty do its magic.”

Damon sagged to the ground with flushed cheeks. He couldn’t even muster the courage to peak at the 2 girl’s expression right now. The Turtle then began waving its left hand wildly in air. As streams of information entered Damon’s head.

“Complete that diagram, and recite the spell without any interruption as its mentioned. I want this task done in under 10 minutes. Remember this little exercise will demonstrate your talent for cultivation and may motivate me further to invest in you.”

Damon struggled onto his feet and began drawing with a blue chalk on the stage. It took only 5 minutes for Damon to draw the diagram albeit amateurly. As Damon recited the spell while drawing, he was able to complete the whole task within 6 minutes. Right at the end of his recital, the Turtle asked him in a curious voice.

“Tell me my pitiful disciple, which of the two girls standing here do you fancy?”

Damon completed his recital with the image of Maggie flashing through his thoughts; the drawing gave out blinding grey light, as everyone shielded their eyes. A girl’s scream was heard just before the light finally passed. There right at the center; a purple panty floated in mid-air.

Damon blinked twice, “What the-“

A blunt force once again punched him in the stomach as Maggie screamed, running towards him.

“Y-You Pervert! How could you do that?!”

Maggie came running as she snatched the floating panty and hid it. Her face turned as red as a red chili pepper. When she realized that almost everyone at the viewing station had witnessed her embarrassment, Veins covered her fist as she glared at Damon with a ‘you’re dead’ look.

“Hmmm you are talented alright. But clearly, she felt her panty being snatched. That is your mistake. Ahh! (Sighs with reminiscence) Do you know at higher realm of understanding, this spell could get the user; a hundred panties from women living in entirely different continent?”

“So, it was YOU! You taught him such dirty magic!” Maggie said in a low voice as she launched a punch towards the shell of the turtle. Her punch went through the turtle as if he was a ghost and no matter how much she tried she couldn’t land one hit on the old floating turtle.

Brinham king(Maggie’s father) appeared, just as Maggie joined her hands together to use a martial skill. He took a long glance at the turtle, then faced the two girls, “It’s too late now, you girls can return to bed.”

Maggie and Kaori left; with Maggie gritting her teeth, while kaori tried to console her. But the small smile and the hand to the stomach betrayed Kaori’s effort to hold in her laughter.

“He needs to learn cultivation before 9:00 tomorrow. I hope you can teach him.”

Brinham king left with his daughter and Kaori in tow. The turtle shimmered as it looked at Damon. “The spell which you just performed falls under the branch of power called magic. Whereas these people want you to be a cultivator. You are now at a crossroad; you decide whether to trend on the path of magic or on the path of cultivation. But, before you decide anything, let me tell you about your fate.”

“Fate?”

“Yes, it’s something that’s given by the heaven as soon as you start on your quest for power. But only beings such as myself have the ability to read this fate. Your fate is a peculiar one. Do you wish to know?”

“Peculiar? Oh no, does it have something to do with women’s undergarments?”

“There lie two paths ahead you. On the path of magic, you can gain fame and riches with scores of women, but you lose the other half of your soul. On the path of cultivation there are no clear roads; you will face obstacles, mountains and rivers blocking your path. In the end you’ll only have a tiny bit of hope to save your soul.”

Damon stared at the old turtle with disbelief. After all this was the same turtle that scammed him into stealing Maggie’s undergarments…while she was wearing them!

“Hmm both these paths sound like a pain in the a**. Wait! so you mean I have the ability to cultivate? Does that not mean, I can do both Magic and cultivation?”

The turtle brushed his beard with his left hand, “Yes you can. But I highly advice you against it.”

“What? Why? If I can use my talent in magic to clear the obstacles on the path of cultivation, would I not be able to secure a better chance at keeping half my soul?”

The turtle smiled, “Smart little shaver, yet you underestimate the heavens. If you choose to go down this path. The choice will no longer be in your hands.”

“Choice? What choice?”

“I have said enough. If I reveal anything more, your fate may worsen drastically.”

“Whatever, I couldn’t care less. I don’t believe in fate anyway. I already know something about magic. So, teach me how to cultivate!”

The Enklosre was a clear sky, so Damon frowned when a shadow passed over him. A large bell floated on top of him. Damon almost kneeled under its rolling pressure. Like waves, they hammered against him forcing him to kneel.

‘Did Maggie return?! It’s not my fault Maggie! Arrgghh! I can imagine the turtle giggling out of his shell.’

With his heart thundering in his chest; Damon had his head bowed as he looked in the direction of an older boy, with red eyes.

“Maggie is my beloved little cousin, pull such dirty pranks again and I will hold you responsible.”

Damon stared at the boy’s tall and proud back as he went on his way without sparing another glance at Damon--'Wow so heroic. Unlike a certain old turtle that escaped into its shell at the first sign of trouble.'

Unfortunately, If Damon knew how much he'd come to hate this red eyed boy, perhaps this wouldn't be his initial impression.

Damon stretched his back and rolled his eyes as he watched the old turtle slowly coming out of his black shell.

“Create a bonfire” said the turtle in a tone dripping with wisdom and seriousness. Damon once again rolled his eyes. Sometime later Damon sat cross-legged in front of the crackling bonfire.

“So should I try to search for qi again?”

“You are not like them, young fledgling. You were born & raised in the human world. Their methods are meant for people born in the world of Romma. For you..I’d advise not to bother looking outside.”

“Don’t tell me to look inside, that’s how I found you. Pretty sure it’s empty now.”

“Close your eyes and look again. Don’t search for anything. Let it find you.”

Damon signed as he closed his eyes. Time passed in silence. After some unknown amount of time, Damon stopped breathing.

When Damon’s consciousness opened its eyes, He was freefalling into a black lake. He felt the weightlessness as well as the restraint, as he submerged deeper. Damon held his breath, looking around as he spotted a light, at the bottom of the lake.

Damon witnessed in silent wonderment, as branches of glowing cherry blossom grew out from the deep dark depth of the black lake, heading skywards. The empty black lake was filled with light, illuminating the space around Damon. Damon didn’t need oxygen to breath anymore.

'Amazing..This is inside me?'

Strong and large monarch butterflies fluttered through the water, moving from one branch of the cherry blossom to the next.

Strength in silence.

The old turtle narrowed its eyes.—So soon? It gazed at the bonfire.

The fire spread, consuming both space and land. Soon it turned into a sphere glowing bright orange. Damon’s figure lifted off the ground.

The sphere of fire in front of him, dwarfed his figure by 5 times. When Damon took his first breath again, the mini sun in front of him began spinning frantically as it gave off heat. Soon the heat spread to the entire estate. Everyone was made aware of the change. But no one except the middle-aged couple, knew what caused it.

Brinham king stood at the top viewing deck as he witnessed everything with his wife standing beside him. Shock was written all over their face as they witnessed Damon’s awakening. Brinham King said, “I’ve never witnessed such a strong reaction from any other cultivator before.”

Malina king frowned as she recalled, “I’ve heard of one other person rumored to have caused such intense reaction. He was 15 last year, when rumors flourished about him having the potential to be one of the golden sons.”

Brinham king’s eyebrows jumped, “Are you talking about Dream? You think this kid has his potential? You are kidding! That person made the entire cultivation world flip on its head, even before he reached 15. There’s no way that kid can become another Dream.”

Malina looked troubled as she stared at the figure floating in front of the sphere and said, “Maybe, but until we know for sure. No one must know about this.”

“Hmmm…He’s pretty disciplined for his age considering his human background.” Observed an old fat granny from behind them.

“When did you arrive mother?” Brinham king gave a polite bow.

“Vampires barging into human world to capture a little girl…..Why?” The granny said as if talking to herself.

The spinning miniature sun grew smaller and smaller until it became a pinpoint of light as it drifted above Damon’s head, and disappeared. Damon opened his eyes slowly to look at the old turtle trying to stamp out the fire spreading on its beard.

Damon asked curiously, “How did you do it? I’ve heard scores of people on earth that meditate and reflect on themselves. But no one can do the things I did just now. And I’m pretty sure, I’d come empty handed, if I tried it myself.”

“Curious whippersnapper, answer me this. A man drinks a cup of coffee every evening, his entire life. Tell me, do you think that, that cup of coffee stays the same his entire life?”

“It’s just coffee. I don’t see how that’s relevant to this situation. But yes, I think it’d mean the same to him”

“Ho Ho, yes, the cup of coffee is after all, just a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. The man has been drinking the same cup of coffee his entire life. When the man was younger, his mother made the hot cup of coffee every evening for him during his studies. When he was old enough, and his mother passed away, he now makes the coffee himself. Tell me, for that man, does the cup of coffee stay the same anymore?”

Damon stayed silent.

“People sometimes underestimate the power of a good guiding hand. You have something the people of that world will never have- Me.”

Damon took a deep breath as he bowed, cupped his hands and shouted, “Thank you, Mr. turtle.”

A hit to the head, "Ouch!"