Night in white forest, eerie as always despite the bright moon shining ever so brightly in the sky.
Eren standing on balcony, letting his chaotic mind run rampant.
He showed so that Alena leaving were unexpected but somewhat bearable, which obviously wasn't true.
His heart shook from the thoughts that he'll again become the blind boy with no hand to guide him to light. He had matured, so much so that it even surprised Alena. His logics, meticulousness and way of thinking that resembled an adult.
Especially in regard of emotions. such as understanding that anger, hate and resentment were futile.
Obviously he was still a child, He knew they were futile but accepting such reality were two different thing.
He had calmed his turmoiled heart, somewhat calming the burning rage of revenge but at the end, he was just a child. Let them go who took his family away and let Alena ascend were both his choice as well as out of his choice.
He just didn't know how to live with this.
" It's easy, time."
Alena's soft voice awoke him from trance, he found himself hugged from behind.
He wasn't surprised, she was master of stealth. Sneaking up is her way of annoying him but eren was too disturbed to give any reaction.
" It's as if you can read my mind." said eren, bringing Alena upfront as he gazed in her red eyes, shining brightly in dark night.
" I would love to say that it's my love that tells me your secrets but we both know to not spell such bullshit. Much less believe in it." She joked, it was obvious to eren too.
Alena knew him, could read his face and worries along.
" Where's nat?"
" Asleep in room below but nat, seriously?" She eyed him funny.
" It's short, sweet and convenient. What's wrong? are you jealous?"
He was playing with fire, calling the girl he met only for few short hours by nickname.
It would sure arise jealousy in any normal girlfriend, but alena didn't care for such triviality. On the contrary she seemed to like this change that eren had accepted.
" You're not fun." Said eren, watching her smile happily instead of getting angry.
" Are you disturbed?"Mood changed, her heart gripped in disturbance as she burried face in his chest.
In most times, watching eren gave her sense of superiority. She felt as if educating a child but long the days, she now realised that he really grew big.
Clinging to him, gave Alena comfort she longed all the time and it came with the greatest realisation that this was soon to be drifted far.
It was heart wrenching, like snake wriggling in stomach. Uneasiness, anxiousness and fear of losing this touch.
As they soon will be parted by world.
" You can say that." He knew, Alena felt those rapid pulse beating and chest rose frantically. He was more than just disturbed.
Alena felt his consciousness trying to maintain the calm composure, yet he failed to do so pathetically.
" How much more time do you have?"
" You speak as if I'm dying." He wasn't in mood for jokes, his stoic face left no room for funny remarks.
" Ease up, will you?" Said alena.
" How am I supposed to do that?, You are leaving going God knows where and I don't know when I'll see you again if ever I see you that is." Frustration loudly palpable in his voice, his expression that he tried so hard to control crumbled like dried leaf.
Alena didn't say anything, just closely hugging him in this turbulent emotions.
They both were each other's anchor to life, A purpose.
But as Alena had said, she-the woman who loves him the most will only be part of his life and not the life itself.
Purpose will disappear, a new purpose will be born and life continuous, till you can play this game of tag.
" Is there no other way?" His solid voice really sounded meek and weakened as he asked, even though knowing full too well that it was pointless.
" If I destroy my core and manage to live that is " Guess there was no option.
Destroying core is abandoning all the power one had acquired, Most wouldn't chose such option but there are always madman.
" Any advice before you go." He knew she wouldn't chose it, neither eren wanted her chose such choice. Only thing he could do is accept.
Alena looked in his eyes, pained and slightly wet. Trying to get control over his emotions.
Alena smiled and spoke,
" No advice, You can do whatever you want.
You can fuck anyone, you can marry anyone, you can kill anyone.
You can be whatever you wish, whetever you want, afterall you're grown and you can make your own decision."
" If you're trying to make feel free than it's working in opposite, I want to be in your restriction more and more." Althought he said it jokingly, what he spoke wasn't joke at all.
Being free between strangers were more restricting than living in prison among regulars.
" That's exactly what you need to grow from.
This society is created in such a way that people find solace and comfort, once they do it becomes their root of laziness.
Remember stagnant water rotts.
Change is inevitable and you should accept it.
As for what I said, I'm not just freeing you but myself as well, even though I want to be in your loving constraints." She materalise her thoughts cleanly, her voice subtle and soft as if containing all worldly and godly knowledge yet her eyes showed desperation, anything but godly.
" Is that so?"
" Yes, Though I ask one thing.
Keep me in your heart." She asked, something to which eren didn't knew how to respond.
He would've said it in heartbeat that there is no doubt, only if that's what she wanted to hear.
They both were practical to not believe in such fairytales but deep down they do wanted to create such occurance.
Eren kissed her lips gently, as if that was his answer.
" It's time." she spoke, her hands clutched his shirt in desperation.
Eren's heart nearly skipped a beat.
His hands shook, eyes trembled and small tear trickle down his cheek. He hugged Alena tight but her existence slowly turned bright and before he could even feel her warmth, she vanished.
And eren was again left alone but unlike before he wasn't powerless.
Frustration, fear, anger and sadness all combined gripping his entire psyche, his eyes closed controlling the urge to cry.
His chest heavy like something stuck in throat, leaving him unable to breath and heart cold.
He opened his eyes, weight on his chest didn't lessened but he sighed with heavy breath, his heart beat came to steadiness yet his entire existence in chaos.
The moon never had been so distant and forest never had been so terrorising to him.
He turned around, there stood two beats completely silent. Even they felt Eren's disturbed emotions and Alena's absense.
Eren smiled fake,
" Who wants to sleep with daddy." No matter, how big eva and ava had grown they were beasts.
To eren, it was no different than taking care of children.
Eren walked upto bed and two followed behind, sleeping beside him as eren closed his eyes to dwelve in slumber to overcome turmoiled exertion.
But knock on the door didn't let him rest, Ava and eva rested while eren opened the door.
Natalie stood on the other end, her fingers fidgety and face flushed.
Eren could guess what she wanted to say, and even though it wasn't a proper time for such things, he was free and in need for distraction.
" Sister Alena is not here?" Asked Natalie, even more worried finding herself alone with eren.
" She ascended." His voice stoic, atleast he tried to make it seem. Natalie was a soft hearted girl.she knew this wasn't a time.
" I'm sorry, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
" No it's okay, What's up."
Natalie hesitated for a while but soon discarded unnecessary thoughts and spoke,
" I am ready for bloodline awakening." Her eyes showed resolve similar to the time she talked about going back to her mother.
Eren was silent.
He knew what Alena wanted him to do but he didn't knew anything else.
Sleep with her, easy but how it will help her awaken the bloodline, eren didn't knew.
" I'm sorry." Natalie apologised.
" I attacked you unknowingly and brought you in this mess, even now I'm being selfish." Her head lowered in shame and guilt.
" It's okay, what's done is done." Eren showed nonchalant attitude, not making her feel more guilty by playing the victim.
" Let's go outside." Eren without giving any choice, started walking down the stairs. His mind still lingered in Alena's image.
" Not here, aren't we going to..um.."Natalie's face flushed further but eren didn't answer, Natalie walked behind him hurriedly and when she finally cought up eren spoke.
" As you know, I just became a cultivator so i don't know anything about cultivation much less helping you with bloodline awakening.
So first I have to learn few things." He spoke softly, walking outside the door.
Soon his nostril perked with humid air as he stood tall outside the mansion.
Gentle breeze swept around him, eren felt invigorated since he had become full fledged cultivator but occupied with other matters, he casted out this feeling for later, and time had finally come.
He knew the basics, what to do and why?
Crossing his legs, he sat on the ground and remembered the lessons he read on the cultivation manual.
Cultivation is a way to make body stronger but how?
Answer is simple, refining.
By absorbing mana through whole body, it's transferred to core where it's stored.
Later that mana is flowed in mana veins, spread throughout whole body, where it strengthens the entire constitution.
During this entire mana flow in cultivators system, mana density increases, little but constant.
And thus ones strength increases which comes with body refining. As one progresses, Body refines into more powerful constitution proportional to mana density.
It's a relative benefit, but it's a extremely slow process and what it needs is time.
Just as eren had read, mana like a fine etheral smoke flowed inside him, now more fluently and effortlessly then he was unawakened.
Slowly as he gathered mana around, his entire existence acted like a magnet- attracting the mana into his core. He noticed that core was already full yet mana flowed in and out. Mana that invigorated his wellspread mana venous system clearly felt more dense and just like that it was expelled out in environment.
Eren felt that his expelled dense mana merged in environmental mana and within a microsecond it disolved with no difference to make, it was one and all.
Eren could tell that such process was true as well as only way but also disappointing, as he realised it was slow, needed time and had very minute impact on his growth but it goes to show that, the Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
He now knew the cultivation, literary and practical.
Eren stood up, his pitch black eyes showing intrigue to his own experience. But still unaware how he'll help Natalie.
He saw Natalie holding an envelope.
" What's that?" He asked, instead of answering she handed it to eren. It wasn't that she wanted to appear rude or arrogant but observing eren cultivate really gave her realisation that she was truly alone with handsome boy, about to do something experimental.
She was embarrassed.
" I found it here on the ground." She said softly.
Ignoring her obviously flushed expression, eren barely saw envelope with his name Written on it, it was dark afterall.
He couldn't read in dark but understanding his difficulty, Natalie switched on a square shaped tech device that worked as a torch.
A bright prismatic white light fell on paper, making every word visible. Natalie saw Eren's surprised expression afterall he didn't knew what That device was,
" It's a smartphone, It's.." Watching him so upclose, she just couldn't finish her explanation.
Eren didn't ask much, He was really irritated by her embarrassed and over anxious behaviour but he himself was a patient man.
He tried understanding her worries and feelings, he took her into consideration, giving her all the time she needed.
" Thank you." He said calmly and opened the envelope.
There was a letter and a book with no name or title. Eren unfolded the letter, his eyes swept through it's content.
His expression softened then next it was flushed red, he couldn't help but laught yet a fine stream of tear rolled down his cheek.
He really tried to make it seem as it was due to excessive laugh but Natalie didn't buy it,
" What's in the letter?" She Asked, worried and bit concerned that contents of letter might have cracked Eren's brain seeing how he acted.
Eren smiled softly, handed the letter and walked back inside the mension.