blood and knowledge (2)

Inside the gloomy stone room I had chosen as my refuge, I collapsed onto the floor without any ceremony. The relentless cold of the pavement seeped through my torn clothes, but I didn't care at all. My face, which appeared to be the eleven years of my current body, was marked by an exhaustion that transcended the merely physical.

The stony floor intensified every twinge that coursed through my battered muscles, but even so, I felt strangely satisfied. I had just defeated that arrogant brat who had underestimated me, and now, finally, I had returned to the safe zone within this damned cave.

I could feel how his bones and muscle fibers, typical of his teenage body, begged for rest with an almost audible desperation. Any other boy my apparent age would have surrendered to sleep the moment his body touched the ground, but I was not a common child. I never had been, and the memories of my past life constantly reminded me of that.

—I can't afford to sleep now —I murmured to myself.

With an effort that made every muscle in my body protest, I sat up, leaning my back against the icy cave wall. The contact with the cold rock was like a revitalizing slap that pierced my skin, awakening my dulled mind and shaking off the lethargy that threatened to drag me into unconsciousness.

I sharpened my five senses, a practice I had perfected over years of survival, and pulled out one of the books I had confiscated from the dead bastard's dimensional ring. The tome felt heavy in my hands, not only due to its physical mass but also because of the knowledge it promised to hold. I focused all my attention on the pages unfolding before me, ignoring the pain throbbing in my temples.

—Fundamentals of the art of the spear! —I exclaimed in a low voice, feeling a mix of recognition and satisfaction.

I began to flip through the volume page by page. At first, my pace was cautious, meticulous, but as the content revealed its secrets, my speed increased progressively. Countless fragments of knowledge began to flow into my mind like a river of information, enriching it with every turn of the page, every paragraph absorbed.

The fundamentals of spear handling intertwined in three essential movements that, though basic, distilled a vast knowledge of technique and potential: the thrust, the strike, and the cut. The thrust unfolded by stabbing forward with the shaft aligned like an arrow piercing the air in search of its target with unyielding determination.

On the other hand, the strike evoked the elegance of a dance laden with violence: the spearman twirled the weapon in a circular motion, reminiscent of a seashell's spiral, accumulating energy until releasing it in an explosion of force that rumbled like contained thunder.

Finally, the cut stood out for its wild dynamism; the Illuminated held the spear firmly, letting it bounce and whip with abrupt, erratic movements, in the style of a hummingbird's frantic fluttering, an attack that disoriented and disarmed the opponent with its unpredictable ferocity.

These three movements, though fundamental, marked only the beginning of a vast repertoire. By interweaving them with strategic parries, defensive blocks, elegant spins, and a myriad of other technical principles, an almost infinite symphony of possibilities was unleashed, a martial art that transcended mere mechanics to transform into a powerful expression of will and skill. The spear manual documented a total of 36 movements, each a firm step on the path to mastery, a collection that not only imparted techniques but also forged the Illuminated's spirit with each lesson.

When an Illuminated consumed the core, the stellar energy interacted with their latent potential, "awakening" the path that best resonated with their essence. This process was not a conscious choice, but a natural reaction between the core and the individual, in which the stellar energy flowed toward the path it found least resistance, ensuring the Illuminated could assimilate it without suffering an overload.

However, this did not mean that the awakening granted immediate mastery over all aspects of the path and its abilities. In reality, it acted as a catalyst, providing the Illuminated with basic aptitudes and the capacity to learn and develop the new path's skills over time, through practice and experience.

I set aside these theoretical thoughts and focused all my attention on immediate practice. The energy that constantly bubbled within me twisted and vibrated with renewed intensity, responding instantly to my will like a tamed animal recognizing its master. I began to direct it through my body with a fluidity that even surprised me, sliding freely through the invisible pathways that ran through me: from the tip of each finger on my hands to my toes, then rising to the crown of my head in a perfect circuit.

I delighted in the smooth, almost silky sensation of that energy flow, a glide that felt both comforting and astonishing. Barely a few months had passed since my ascension as an Illuminated, and yet, I perceived no resistance in my system. On the contrary, I felt an almost instinctive intimacy with that force, as if the stellar energy were an intimate companion I had grown up with since childhood, rather than a tool recently acquired.

The body of an Illuminated housed a complex stellar circulation network, a specialized system that allowed them to channel and master stellar energy with precision. After awakening as an Illuminated, the latent nodes of this network activated, connecting through the Stellar Pathways and being regulated by the eight access stars. This structure not only stabilized the stellar energy but also prevented devastating risks, such as uncontrollable mutations or transformation into Necrophages, by maintaining a harmonious balance in the energy flow.

—I have to become stronger than anyone else —I murmured, my red eyes glowing in the dimness—. Strong enough to decide the fate of others.

I thought of the face of the "bastard" I had eliminated just hours before, and a cold smile crossed my lips. In this cruel world, where the weak were devoured without mercy, I would ensure I never again found myself on the wrong side of that equation.