Days turned into weeks and, while Isaac and his crew seemed to leave Gust alone, he was certain they were just waiting for him to die. He always caught them staring him down with amused expressions which he knew hid darker thoughts.

As he worked, Gust took every chance to make small talk with Locke. The blonde boy was serious and unwilling to offer much in the way of conversation, so it mostly consisted of Gust asking him basic questions about the school and some of its people.

While at first Gust’s curiosity was met with frustration, Locke grew to… tolerate the presence of a student who posed no threat, and who trusted so easily. He didn’t need to worry that Gust would try to take advantage of him, or pry open whatever secrets he could.

The boys would chat and feel normal for a few minutes whenever Gust delivered water. Then their thoughts returned to more pressing matters.

Everything on Gust’s mind encouraged him to cultivate more and more. A family to get back to. Enemies to protect himself from. Friends he desperately wished to make eventually. Even the little game Gust played in his back yard to distract himself, throwing rocks and sticks, became incredibly difficult now that his glasses were gone.

All of this was on his mind the night it finally happened.

Gust had little idea what to expect. The cultivation manual described this step, but it was like reading about an organ he didn’t have. He couldn’t understand it until it happened to him.

Just as Ephraim had said, the reservoir of energy in his gut continued to grow until it filled the space it occupied. After that, it grew denser, pressing harder and harder against its boundary until it burst.

And Gust reached the first level of Mana Absorption.

He felt a strange pop and then extremely warm as his entire body broke out in sweat. Black residue seemed to flow from every one of his pores. It was thin and quickly soaked into his robes with a horrible, rotten scent.

A new awareness filled his head. Whereas before, Gust could only guess at his progress based on the way cultivation felt, now he could sense the mana directly. It was like an inner eye which he could open at any time. For now, Gust only saw a dark space filled with a bluish white gas. Mana.

According to the book he was given, Gust could now practice moving that energy. It was a new step he would need to include in his cultivation going forward. True cycling wasn’t possible until he opened his first set of meridians, but constantly swirling his mana until it formed a large whirlpool was considered a preliminary step.

Rotating, and eventually cycling, one’s spiritual energy was a key part of keeping enough of it contained to reach further levels.

This was one of the reasons people rarely cultivated outside of schools. They simply didn’t know efficient meditation and cycling techniques that would make it far easier. Many basic techniques were passed around, but unless the practitioner had considerable talent, they were still too slow.

Another key reason was that mortals had lives of their own. Cultivators spent most of their time cultivating. Farmers, who spent most of their time farming, couldn’t possibly find the endless hours people like Gust devoted to meditation.

As Gust watched his cultivation base for the first time, he found that it emitted a sort of fog. Closer observation told him it was mana leaking away. Despite knowing that reaching the first stage would cement his place in this world, Gust panicked as he tried to swirl the energy around.

He was already in position, so Gust continued to cultivate. As he tried to swirl the energy, he felt as if his cultivation base were vibrating. The mana lurched in the direction he willed it to, but immediately returned. Gust was able to make the mana spin slightly, but not nearly enough for it to flatten into a spiral. Instead, it looked more like a rotating ball of gas.

While that disappointed him a little, it wasn’t nearly enough to drown out one important fact.

Gust was going to live. The first stage of Mana Absorption meant his body had adapted to its new environment. He no longer felt weak, but instead stronger than ever! He even jumped in place a few times and found that he could reach noticeably higher than before.

There were still more benefits, however. His lifespan had increased, every sense was heightened, and Gust had even heard sleep became optional on the path of cultivation. He wasn’t at that point yet, but between the incremental changes, and all his excitement, he barely slept a wink that night.

Part of the reason for that was Gust’s vision. His nearsighted eyes no longer struggled to focus on blobs of undefined color. Gust could see the stars again, and as the sun rose, Gust stared at the world around him, in a level of detail he had never experienced without lenses. One of his hands unconsciously rose to push at the bridge of his nose.

But there was nothing there. The world was more beautiful than ever, and Gust never had to worry about losing that again. The only thing blurring his vision that morning was tears.

As the day truly began, Gust was bursting with energy. He felt oddly solid and powerful, with an unfamiliar confidence. The vat of water was going to feel as light as a feather, he was sure.

When Gust headed to at the courtyard the next morning, he was eager to get to work. For the first time he was starting to see the potential of this ‘cultivation.’ It was more than just magic. It was a part of the world, and now a part of his own body, strengthening him from the inside out.

Gust showed up early due to his excitement and eagerness to share the news with his cynical friend, if he could even call Locke that. Instead of his usual partner, however, Gust found Master Ephraim standing with an elder he did not know.

This one had olive skin and long brown hair that curled around his ears. His robes were green and gold, like Ephraim’s, but the golden detailing formed stems which led to drooping flower heads. His gold sash had only one tassel, giving him a slightly lower standing at the school than Ephraim’s two. Gust had seen a few other golden sashes with up to two tassels, but Ephraim was the only Master who ever wore the Matriarch’s purple stole.

Ephraim smiled jovially as the boy reached them. “Ah, Gust. I sensed your breakthrough last night. Congratulations! I knew you had it in you! This is but the first step on a path that goes as far as you are willing to take it. There may be a lot of pain and suffering, but remember that the sacrifices you make will be worth it in the end. You must never give up. It is only then that you have truly failed.”

He clapped his hands on Gust’s shoulders and gave him a firm nod. “We’ve been waiting for this day, you know. I’d like you to meet Master Christos!” The other man looked through dark, lidded eyes as if Gust wasn’t worth his time. He gave a slight nod.

Gust froze upon hearing that name. He didn’t see the man’s face that night, but this was definitely the person Gust heard speaking with Ephraim on his first night. The two of them were plotting something Gust struggled to understand, but he knew it didn’t bode well for him.

He hesitated, but Gust had learned some of the local etiquette by now. He pressed his fists together and bowed slightly. “Greetings, Master.” He felt a bit awkward, but knew it was expected of him and Gust didn’t want to rock the boat. He had enough attention as it was.

Ephraim smiled. “I see Locke has been teaching you our ways! That’s good. It’s part of why I put you two together. There is a certain matter I could use your help with, however. I’m sure Locke won’t mind losing you for a short time.” He held out his hand briefly before walking in the direction he pointed.

Gust followed behind. Perplexed, he asked, “What could the masters possibly need my help with?”

Master Christos scoffed and whipped his head around to reveal a disgusted expression. Before he could say anything, Ephraim put a hand on his arm. “Give him time, brother.”

Abruptly, the man shrugged off Ephraim’s hand and started walking faster.

With a sigh, Ephraim said, “You know, if you were any other student, you might have been put on strict guard duty and low rations for a month.”

Gust’s jaw dropped. “I don’t get it; did I say something wrong?”

The elder peered at Gust through the corner of his eye and nodded slightly. “When you speak to a Master it must be with the utmost respect. You should never question their decisions. Some, like Christos and myself, have spent hundreds of years serving our people loyally, slowly cultivating mana and earning the respect of our former teachers. To be questioned by a mere first stage honorary student is… offensive.”

Gust had seen the kind of power Isaac could unleash, and the elders were on another level entirely. He did not want to think about what Christos might do if Gust crossed the wrong line.

With a nervous gulp, Gust nodded. “Right. Sorry. I’ll… have to be more careful.” On the outside, Gust tried to play the ‘polite pupil’ he thought was expected of him, but inside he was bristling.

All he did was voice his surprise that the elders would need anything from him! How could that possibly be offensive?

He was already uneasy about following these men anywhere, but that outburst made Gust’s heart beat even faster. How could he know they weren’t leading him into a trap? What could he even do if they were?

Whatever the answer, Gust knew it wouldn’t matter. Christos was a Master, and a Sorcerer like Ephraim. Such cultivators were worth hundreds, if not thousands, of young men at the first stage of Mana Absorption.

Gust stepped more carefully after that.