Dark Sun

The silver light of the sun, filtered through the dark clouds of the Other Side, bathed Sophie's living room, casting metallic reflections on the black wooden furniture.

Indra sat cross-legged on the meditation mat, hands resting on his knees. The Manual of Basic Techniques lay open before him, displaying the diagram of the Harmonious Spiritual Flow — winding lines tracing the path of Qi through the body like rivers on an ancient map.

Sophie sat across from him, her red tail still, her heterochromatic eyes fixed on him.

"Ready?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.

Indra nodded, swallowing hard.

"Just follow the instructions. Soften your breath. Feel the Qi moving within you — not as a force, but as a tide."

He closed his eyes.

And plunged.

At first, it was as always — the familiar white heat pulsing at his core, the energy circulating slowly, aligned with the rhythm of his breath. But then, something shifted.

Outside, the silver sun seemed to burn brighter, its rays cutting through the curtains like sharp blades. The purple sky, usually static, came alive — its hues deepening as if the very air had become saturated with color. The dark clouds, streaked with iridescent lightning, churned as though shaken by an invisible wind.

Indra felt the Qi bubbling inside him — no longer a stream, but a stormy sea. It expanded, grew stronger, flooded every empty space within his body. But there was something off. An absence. As if something essential was missing. As if he were dancing to a song he didn't fully know.

And then, he stopped.

His eyes snapped open.

His body was wrapped in white Qi, the energy floating above his skin like a luminous mist. Sophie stared at him, eyes wide, her tail bristling.

"Did I... do something wrong?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Sophie hesitated.

"No. It's just... your energy is reacting far too violently. That only happens during the formation of Magical Veins."

Indra frowned.

"But I haven't even properly started the process, I was just—"

The pain hit before he could finish.

A sharp stab beneath his sternum, like a blade slicing his insides. He cried out, the sound muffled between clenched teeth, hands clutching his chest as if he could pull the agony out.

"Indra!"

Sophie was at his side in an instant, her hands firm on his shoulders. Her eyes no longer showed doubt — only urgency.

"Focus!" she commanded, her voice razor-sharp. "Your Qi is forming the Magical Veins right now — you have to control it before it tears your body apart!"

He swallowed the next scream, muscles rigid, vision blurring. But the pain had brought clarity. He closed his eyes again and dove into the internal chaos.

And then, he saw.

White energy paths, as thin as silk threads, spreading wildly through the left side of his chest, connecting directly to his heart. They looked like hastily built roads — no planning, no direction — but they were his.

His Magical Veins, being born in raw flesh.

Indra took a deep breath.

And began to shape them.

Slowly, the once-rampant Qi began to follow clear paths, tracing his physical veins, intertwining with them. The pain, once unbearable, became strangely invigorating — like muscles stretching after years of stiffness.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was drenched in sweat. His heart raced in chaotic rhythm, yet a deep calm underlay every beat. The world around him looked different. Colors sharper. Sounds crisper. The air denser. Like waking from a dream he hadn't realized he was in.

He tried to stand, but his legs gave out. His body ached as if crushed from the inside, yet each heartbeat carried a strange clarity. The colors of the room were more vivid: Sophie's tail glowed red like fresh blood, the furniture's black deeper than ink.

"What's happening to me?" he asked, voice raw like he'd swallowed coals.

Sophie watched him in silence, lips slightly parted.

"You... formed part of your Magical Veins," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Indra looked at his trembling hands. The white energy had faded, but the sensation of power remained — rooted in his chest like a second heartbeat.

"Is that... good?"

She didn't answer right away. Her gaze was distant, as if seeing something far ahead.

Then suddenly:

A tremor.

Subtle. Almost imperceptible.

The forgotten teacup on the table rattled. The stained-glass windows vibrated faintly. And for a fraction of a second, the silver sun dimmed — as if crossed by an impossible cloud, dark and viscous.

A chill ran down Indra's spine.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the sun blazed again. But the air remained heavy, charged with something Indra could only describe deep within:

Hunger.

The entire house seemed to hold its breath. Even Sophie's tail had gone still, like a serpent frozen in place.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

Sophie smiled — but it didn't reach her eyes.

"It means you're no longer a beginner, Indra."

Somewhere far off — perhaps in the garden, perhaps beyond the clouds — a raven cawed.

And for the first time since arriving on the Other Side, Indra realized:

The sun could be watched.

---

The living room remained steeped in the soft half-light of the silver sun. The air was calmer now, but it carried the resonance of what had just occurred — as if the walls themselves remembered the pain and discovery.

Indra sat on the mat, his body sore, his mind unsettled. Sophie knelt beside him, closer now, watching him intently.

"Breathe deep," she said, her hand gently touching his back. "Qi becomes more sensitive after the first Magical Veins form. It's trying to adjust to your new body... and to your spirit."

Indra closed his eyes, guided by her voice. He inhaled slowly, feeling the cold air fill his lungs. The Qi responded — flowing more freely than before — but still... incomplete.

"It feels like I'm wearing clothes that don't fit," he muttered.

Sophie tilted her head, curious.

"The technique... the Harmonious Spiritual Flow. It feels like it's guiding me down paths not meant for me. I can follow them, but I keep stumbling."

Sophie didn't respond right away. There was something different in her gaze now. A quiet respect.

"Then try another," she said finally. "Refinement techniques are foundations. Useful, but not perfect. Maybe your Qi needs a different structure."

Indra nodded, picking up the manual and flipping through its yellowed pages.

"There are five basic techniques in here," he murmured, mostly to himself. "Let's see…"

He took a deep breath and began with the Pulse of the Inner Essence.

He closed his eyes, letting the Qi pulse, searching for the center of his being. The technique was rhythmic, aggressive — designed to force the Qi to circulate and expand quickly. He felt the energy vibrate in his chest — intense, powerful — but disordered. The pain returned, a faded echo of what he'd felt earlier, but he managed to contain it. Some new veins began to form, thin lines stretching from his sternum to his shoulders. But still — an emptiness. A missing note in the melody.

He sighed and moved on to the next: Rhythm of the Quiet Core.

This one was more introspective. It guided the Qi to settle, to rest at the center like a lake within the soul. It was comforting... but too passive. The Qi accumulated, but didn't integrate. No new veins emerged.

Sophie watched silently, not interrupting. Just feeling the flow, sensing his body's responses with her own magical perception.

He tried the third: Breath of the Latent Soul.

More fluid, gentler. The Qi danced like smoke. He felt light, clear-headed… but not grounded. Like a beautiful conversation with no real substance.

Then the last: Serpent Current of the Core.

Unpredictable. The Qi moved in spirals, slithering through nonlinear paths. It felt instinctive, almost animal. Indra felt something stir within him — a restrained wildness. Some veins formed along his legs, like crawling roots, but still... incomplete.

He opened his eyes, panting, sweat dripping down his neck.

"They all have something right. But none of them are right enough."

Sophie leaned in slightly, her eyes narrowed as if peering deeper into him.

"That's rare. Most people find one that resonates with their energy. You... seem to be searching for something that doesn't exist yet."

Indra placed his hands on the floor, trying to steady his breath.

"It's like my Qi… doesn't know how to dance to these songs. It remembers another tune."

Sophie smiled, faintly.

"Then maybe you need to compose your own."

The silence that followed was dense, but not uncomfortable. Indra looked at the open manual — the clean, perfect lines of the traditional techniques etched with age-old precision. He respected them.

But he knew — with every fiber of his soul — that his path lay elsewhere.

"Still..." he said. "It wasn't a wasted session. I formed a few more Veins. Just… not enough."

Sophie nodded.

"That means you're ready to continue. And maybe... to start breaking a few rules."

Indra chuckled, weakly.

"Barely started, and I'm already making trouble."

"Welcome to the Other Side."

A thunderclap rumbled outside — muffled by the walls, but echoing like a distant warning.

Indra closed his eyes for a moment and, when he opened them, they were steadier. More resolute.

"I'll find my flow."

Sophie stood up.

"And I'll be here when you do."

She extended her hand. Indra took it and rose shakily.

His still-incomplete Magical Veins pulsed within him, like roots reaching toward the light.

His body still ached. His mind was still reeling.

But his soul was awake.