Over the next few hours, Red experimented with many weapons. Swords, axes, maces, clubs, spears. Even weapons which he previously hadn't known existed - Domeron had him try them all in a sparring session. They could eventually find a pattern in his practice.

His best weapons were light, one-handed ones: short-swords, daggers, hatchets, and variations of those. This was because of his combat style. Quick movement added to his lighter frame lent itself to these types of weapons. From among those, the bladed ones became his favorites. As for maces and clubs, they focused on blunt power, and that didn’t appeal as much to the boy.

This meant he also fared little better with polearms and two-handed weapons. He was too small, and the weapons were too unwieldy for someone of his size. Still, Red insisted. He went through every heavy weapon, grabbing and feeling their weight, before being completely pummelled by Domeron. The man eventually lost his patience.

“Enough!” the swordsman swept his blade aside. “Can’t you see these weapons don’t fit you?”

Red was carrying a two handed-sword at that moment. He stared at the man in confusion.

“I like how they feel, though.”

“What’s the point?” Domeron frowned. “If you can’t even swing them, why would you like using them?”

“It looks cool.” Red shrugged.

Domeron didn’t know how to react, staring at the boy in silence. Red, however, was being honest. He recalled how Viran and Narcha looked while fighting with their enemies and wielding these heavy blades. It was like nothing could stop their weapons. The boy wondered how that must have felt and was keen on discovering it by himself.

The swordsman didn’t look satisfied with his response, though. “Is that a proper reason to pick a weapon? Your talent clearly lies elsewhere!”

“I thought cultivation was about freedom and making one’s own choices.” Red remained unconvinced. “I would not like to let myself get tied down by my limitations, or my talents.”

His reply left Domeron speechless.

“… You’re right,” the man said with a sigh. “No wonder Hector sees promise in you.”

It was the first time Red heard about that.

“Regardless, you’re still young.” Domeron shook his head. “Your priority right now should be to learn how to fight, and not to pick a weapon for life. Only in this way will you be able to make a proper choice in the future.”

The boy understood his point, but that didn’t make his decision any easier. He looked over at the weapon rack as if he was about to make a choice that could change his whole life. Domeron, however, interjected.

“You don’t need to decide right now, you know? There are plenty of things you still need to learn before making a proper decision.”

In the end, Red relented. Even if he was eager to learn, there was no point in rushing. Little did he know, the decision would not get any easier with time.

…

A week passed by.

Red continued to practice diligently with his teachers. After failing more times than he could be bothered to count, he had finally crafted a knife that was up to Goulth’s standards. Still, he received no praise from the blacksmith.

“Look at this shoddy work!” the giant pointed at the blade. “People would mock me if they knew I allowed a disciple of mine to craft trash like this!”

Despite the man’s words, Eiwin guaranteed to Red that Goulth was praising the boy to other people when he wasn’t nearby. This left him confused, but it did not affect Red either way. As for his combat training, progress was not nearly as good.

“Have you decided yet?” Domeron kept asking him.

“I thought you said I shouldn’t rush my decision.”

“You shouldn’t, but you also need to learn how to fight soon enough before you get yourself killed. Even a provisory weapon will do.”

Of course, the boy’s answer remained unchanged. He had narrowed his choice down to a handful of weapons, but it didn’t bring him any closer to making his final decision. Red’s indecision eventually made the swordsman's patience run thin.

“We’ll try a different approach.”

He left the boy to ponder on these slightly ominous words. Still, Red wasn’t sure what could be worse than being beaten black and blue in their sparring sessions.

Then there was literacy. His last area of practice was the one the youth was making the most progress in. Eiwin’s close guidance by now was mostly unneeded. The only thing the woman did was to direct his study efforts and answer Red’s complex questions from time to time. Right now, though, the boy found himself able to read simple books by himself.

He was eager to absorb this information. However, with other more immediate concerns in his mind, Red had to leave this matter aside for now. At the very least, he had deciphered some of the contents of Viran’s blurry notes.

‘Moonstones are a long-lost part of the Moon.’

This sentence, however, only left the boy even more confused. Long-lost part? What was that supposed to mean? There were no green glowing stones on the Moon as far as Red could see. Not to mention, moonstones were self-regenerating. Their supply was seemingly endless. Yet Viran’s words made sense once the boy considered what had happened with him recently over the last couple of weeks.

‘Is this why my energy is being drained by that lunar being?’

This information was outside of Red’s investigative scope, but if accurate, it helped further explain his current situation. A piece of the whole returning home. Red felt that he could understand the lunar being a bit better, but that did not help resolve the problem at all.

The lunar gaze had almost disappeared. Sometimes, Red couldn’t even tell it was there because of how weak the pressure had become. After confirming it with his other companions, the boy knew - the Full Moon was imminent. He didn’t check it himself. What if it angered the being?

As for cultivation, he continued to make progress. The youth had almost refilled one of his special acupoints with the help of the insectoid crystal, and he was also getting closer to opening his next Upper Leg acupoint. This speed wasn’t enough for him, though. Red was just about ready to take his next Vein Opening Pill, but he chose to wait until Full Moon had passed.

With the imminent arrival of night, Red secluded himself in his room. The place was completely silent except for the boy’s breathing. He held onto the insectoid crystal and counted the seconds out loud, waiting until the Sun had set. Eventually, the world outside his window darkened, and he knew night had come.

Nothing happened.

Red waited. Almost a full hour passed before Red permitted himself a conclusion. The gaze had not appeared. The boy didn’t feel the slightest pressure against his mind. It was as if he could breathe freely for the first night in weeks.

Red got up from his bed and went outside. The night sky was completely clear, and the stars’ beauty was displayed in full view. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath before looking for the brightest image in the firmament.

The Moon.

It was there in all its majesty, brighter than Red ever remembered it. The being, however, hadn’t disappeared. It was still there, its image as clear as ever to the boy. It was hard to tell where the creature began and where it ended, its body composed of countless filaments that wrapped around the surface of the Moon. He could not discern any familiar body parts in the being. It was something foreign. It was…

‘Not moving?’

This situation alarmed him. The boy swore that the first time he saw it, the being was pulsating and stirring its body. Yet now, it was completely still. In fact, its greyish white color seemed to camouflage almost perfectly with the surface of the Moon. Red might have missed it if he didn’t know what to look for.

The being looked almost as if it was dead. The boy would have been thankful if that was the case, but he doubted he could count on it. Averting his gaze, Red turned around and walked back to his room. That was, however, when he felt something. It was a feeling that came from a deep part inside his body.

It took him a few seconds before he located its origin: his three special acupoints.

‘Again?’

Red almost felt despair once he noticed it. Still, he calmed himself down quickly enough and recognized something was different about it this time around. No misty green traces were leaving his body, and there was no sudden feeling of emptiness. Whatever the case, it didn’t look like his energy was being absorbed again.

However, he didn’t dare to remain passive. After entering his room, the boy was about to examine his condition before he saw something on his bed. He had left the insectoid crystal on the mattress, and now its glow had intensified. It felt almost as if Red was staring at a lantern and he had to avert his gaze momentarily.

Eventually, noticing no changes, the boy approached the crystal. Once he got within a meter of the object, he felt a familiar tingling feeling spread throughout his skin.

‘Spiritual Energy.’

This discovery alarmed Red. Before, he needed to touch the crystal to elicit this reaction, but now just getting close to it was enough. Spiritual Energy suffused the object’s surface, spreading throughout the room. He didn’t know what to think. His mind, however, arrived at a single possibility.

It was because of the Full Moon.

How and why did this happen? The boy didn’t have a concrete idea. Still, this change brought about an opportunity for him. Red hesitated for a few minutes, but eventually went ahead with his plan.

Getting into position, he practiced his exercises. After three minutes, the boy felt his body was ready, and the tingling reaction only intensified. He picked up his last remaining Vein Opening Pill and sat cross-legged on his bed. Red then placed his other hand over the insectoid crystal, feeling the overwhelming energy making its way into his veins.

At almost the same time, Red swallowed the pill. A deluge of energy from two different sources spread through his veins. This phenomenon reminded him of the last time he met the blob and how it had given him so much Spiritual Energy that the boy almost died. Yet, this time around, the strands felt more manageable, because of the pill and because of Red’s improved mental state.

Still, he had to do his utmost to direct this power towards his Upper Leg Vein. The tidal wave of energy made its way to his acupoint, and ten seconds later, Red felt a painful pop inside of his body. The 6th acupoint gave way, but the energy wasn’t done. It carved its way past this blockade and attacked the next obstacle.

This time, the pressure persisted for almost 30 seconds before the energy broke through. Red felt his muscles spasm under the agonizing feeling, but he focused on the task at hand. The energy was only half spent. The boy directed it to attack his next acupoint.

After a minute, this obstacle also gave way and Red almost collapsed on the spot. The remaining energy, all but spent, weaved through his veins before dissipating into nothingness. When it was finally gone, realization hit the youth.

He had opened three acupoints in one go. Only the two special ones now remained in his Upper Leg Vein.