Chapter 8: Return

Ersa stepped out into the academy garden, feeling as though he had lost his sense of hearing. His movements were slow, as if his body were not fully under his control. He barely managed to walk for a while, like a leaf being blown in the wind. Eventually, he fell to his knees.

People around him gave him puzzled looks, but Ersa didn't care. He lifted his head and stared at the endless blue sky above, feeling as though a knife had been plunged into his heart.

"Hey, Ersa! Are you okay? Ersa!" Ray's voice echoed as he rushed over, seeing Ersa kneeling on the ground.

"..."

"Ersa! Ersa!" Ray continued calling his name, kneeling beside him.

Ersa slowly turned his head towards Ray. His voice was soft, almost fragile. "Ray."

Ray was startled as he looked into Ersa's eyes. He wondered what could have shaken him so much.

"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing here? Let's go back to the room."

Ray helped Ersa to his feet, and together they walked back to the dorm. Once inside, Ray asked Ersa what had happened, but seeing that Ersa didn't want to talk, he didn't push further. Instead, he helped Ersa lie down on his bed.

"Ersa, I've got classes to attend. Stay here, okay?"

Ersa lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. Ray sighed deeply before leaving the room. Ersa's mind was in turmoil—he couldn't advance on the cultivation path he had dreamed of. He remained motionless, not eating, not drinking. Ray and Bailey tried to talk to him, but he didn't respond. They eventually left for their own duties, leaving Ersa alone. He stayed like that for a time he couldn't measure, until finally, a spark of light returned to his eyes. Anger surged within him.

Why am I not trying harder? Am I just going to give up and accept this? If there's a problem with my core, there must be a solution in medicine. There has to be. I have to find the cure.

Determined, Ersa got up, his stomach growling with hunger. He went to the cafeteria and ate his fill. Once energized, he made his way to the library. He greeted the old man at the entrance and ascended to the third floor, where he spent hours poring over medical texts. The sky darkened, night turned to day, but Ersa remained unaware of the passage of time as he focused on his research.

When he got hungry, he would stop by the cafeteria to eat, and when he needed to clean up, he would return to his dorm to shower and change. The rest of his time was spent in the library, mainly in the sections on medicine and alchemy.

For a year, Ersa devoted himself to his research, developing countless theories, constantly refining them. He worked tirelessly, sleeping only a few hours each night. He spent the rest of his time trying to solve his core issue. Ray and Bailey barely saw him anymore.

Ersa had become a fixture in the library. Students who came to study often assumed that he worked there. Some even began watching him out of curiosity. Among the girls, Ersa's dedication made him somewhat popular.

But despite the entire year of research, Ersa's efforts amounted to nothing. No matter how much he studied or theorized, he constantly hit a wall. Frustration consumed him again.

With a blank expression, he packed his things and left the academy. Karmela was waiting outside. When Ersa finally emerged, Karmela's heart swelled with joy, but as his son approached, he sensed something was off. Ersa's energy was completely absent. How could his son not have progressed at all in the cultivation path?

Karmela didn't wait for Ersa to come to him. He walked straight up to his son. "Ersa, what's wrong? Why do you have no energy?"

Ersa answered calmly, "There's a problem with my core, Father. I can't progress on the cultivation path."

The words hit Karmela like a blow, making him feel as though his heart had stopped. He stared at his son in pain. Ersa's calm demeanor only deepened the dread settling in his heart. Karmela couldn't believe what he was hearing. His son had passed the academy's tests. How could his core be defective?

"Ersa, I want you to tell me everything, and don't leave anything out."

Ersa recounted everything, from how his core rejected the energy, to his inability to progress, to how he'd turned to medicine for answers, only to find no solution.

Karmela was speechless as he listened. He had never heard of a core rejecting energy like this. If the core was rejecting energy, then there was definitely a problem. Energy was the foundation of everything in cultivation, something Karmela understood all too well.

He knew how much Ersa longed to progress on the cultivation path, but now his son was being denied that chance. Why had fate been so cruel to him? Karmela pulled Ersa close and hugged him tightly. Ersa remained unresponsive.

Karmela took Ersa by the waist and flew him home. When they arrived, Alvina was outside, pacing around and glancing up at the sky. Ela sat at the front of the house, waiting for her son to return.

When they saw Karmela and Ersa approaching, Alvina squealed with excitement. "Brother! Brother! Mom, my brother's back!"

As soon as they landed, Alvina threw her arms around Ersa, hugging him tightly. Ela, too, wanted to embrace her son, but she noticed something was wrong. She turned to Karmela, concerned. His face held a pained expression, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.

Karmela saw the worry in Ela's eyes. He leaned in and whispered, "I'll tell you everything when we're alone."

Hearing this only heightened Ela's concern. She, too, could sense that there was no energy coming from Ersa.

Meanwhile, Ersa focused on Alvina. "Did you miss me, little sister?"

"Yes!" Alvina hugged him even tighter. Ersa let out a heartfelt laugh. He had missed her too. He hugged her back just as tightly.

Once they finished hugging, Ersa turned to his mother. "Mom, I'm home."

Ela looked at her son with conflicted emotions. She hugged him, breathing in the comforting scent of her child.

"Welcome home, my son."

As she embraced him, Ela's heart grew heavy. She realized that Ersa's condition was far more serious than she had thought. After Ersa and Alvina went inside, Ela stayed back, her voice trembling as she asked Karmela, "What happened?"

Karmela sighed deeply and explained everything from the beginning. Ela couldn't hold back her tears.

"How could this happen? Did he endure this all year long by himself? How could his biggest dream be taken from him like this, Karmela?"

Karmela tried to comfort her with reassuring eyes.

"Please don't cry. We need to support our son. If he sees you like this, it could bring out the emotions he's been suppressing. We can't risk making things worse. First, I'll go to the empire and speak to the best doctors. I'll find a solution to this problem, I promise."

"When will you go?"

"I'm leaving now. I'll be back in a few days." Even as he spoke, Karmela was already taking off into the sky. His silhouette quickly disappeared. Ela stood there for a while, her tears slowly drying. When she composed herself, she went inside. She didn't ask Ersa about his core problem. She didn't want to upset him. Instead, they spent time together, chatting in a warm, loving atmosphere. Alvina, clearly having missed her brother, stayed glued to his side, telling him all about the things she had learned and how she had spent her days.

Their conversations carried on until the evening. Ela noticed Ersa was getting tired and sent him to his room to rest, keeping Alvina with her. When Ersa entered his room, he was greeted by the sight of books scattered all around. He had spent so much time with them over the past year—they had become his closest companions. Lying down on his bed, he allowed himself to rest for the first time in months.

He thought about everything he had gone through over the past year. He had studied medicine and alchemy tirelessly, trying to find a solution, but to no avail. Seeing how his family had been affected by his situation only deepened his frustration. His eyes stared up at the familiar ceiling.

Maybe I should just accept my fate, he thought. Not being able to practice martial arts isn't the end of the world. I can still continue to grow in medicine and alchemy. Maybe he could even try some of the physical martial arts techniques he had read about.

Physical martial arts didn't have the same promising future as regular martial arts. Without using a core, the strength of the human body alone was limited. Most practitioners couldn't advance beyond the apprentice level, as higher stages required the use of energy. Still, even if he could only advance to the apprentice level, it would be something. He could still find a way to improve himself.

Karmela had been gone for two days. Ersa suspected his father had left to seek help for his problem. Although he was curious about his father's whereabouts, he didn't ask his mother. Instead, he spent his time with her and Alvina.

"Ersa, could you come outside?" While Ersa was reading a book in his room, he heard his father's voice. He put the book aside and left his room. He was happy to see his father back. As he stepped outside, he noticed a smile on Karmela's face. Beside him stood an elderly man with a long white beard and hair. There was a sense of calmness and serenity in the man's eyes.