Liu-Ken walked into the house. Aurora remained seated, breathing deeply, remembering the woman's words. Gradually, they shattered into chunks, straying from her mind, only a whispering heard from afar. It was hard to keep focused. Even after absorbing the mana and recovering her stamina, she still felt tired. The problem was more deep-rooted than she had thought.

Behind the white clouds. the sun rose as beautiful as a lotus flower. The rays of light ran from one end to the other, from the reflection over the lake to the forest shadows, also shining upon Aurora. Minutes went by. Liu-Ken had not yet returned when the girl got up and walked to the edge of the creek. She knelt and washed her face. The refreshing sensation awakened her, also freeing her from the melancholy that still resided in her head.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Liu-Ken's voice was heard behind her. He had a glass jar with a thick yellow liquid inside, "drink it all the way to the end and all at once. The longer you take, the worse it will be. We'll start practicing with swords after. There's no time to rest,"

"This is horrible," Aurora said, with a disgusted look as she sniffed the bottle.

"I warned you. Drink fast. You can cover your nose while you do it, but don't stop until the bottle is empty," Liu-Ken said. He left the girl alone and walked back to the swords.

A trail of the black chi that Yin had used to materialize was still lingering, trying to survive without a host. Liu-Ken inhaled deeply, without using his mouth or nose, a technique called embryonic breathing, as old as the first cultivator, and blew a jet of blue chi that dispersed the invisible black powder until it vanished.

"This is horrible, but I'm actually feeling more energetic," Aurora said, hopping from the edge of the creek to the first rock. "Today I'm going to beat you," she added, as she moved closer to Liu-Ken.

The mentor flung his sword at her. The girl grasped it and placed it on the diagonal, beside the body, bending her feet, while keeping a strong look on the man's body ahead of her, his face blurred by the sun.

The air had become stiff. They gazed at each other, the bodies moving as light as a feather, imperceptible to a common man's gaze. Aurora swung both sides, waiting for an opening, a small gap that would give her two or three-seconds’ advantage over her opponent.

The seconds went by without anybody taking the initiative.

Only when a beam of light blazed over the top of the metal of Liu-Ken's sword, momentarily blinding him, did Aurora advance. She ran as fast as she could and delivered a side blow. The celebration was canceled immediately, as soon as she realized that Liu-Ken's body was not there. She looked around trying to find any sign of the mentor. She had already given up when a foot landed on her shoulder. Liu backflipped and landed on the ground, as skillful as ever, without even having to put one foot behind him.

"You waited for the right moment, but once again you got too excited. I don't need to see you to feel you. Next lesson. You have to know how to keep your chi low profile, as unnoticeable as possible. Emotions are your greatest enemy.”

"And teaching me how to do that backflip?" Aurora asked, the sword stumbling through her fingers.

"One day. First, you have to know the basics. We've already spent three days and you still can't lift a body. Just the two of us won't go anywhere. There are worse evils on the lookout," he said.

"Why do I feel like you're not telling me something? Yin said there was one more necromancer alive. Why doesn't he help us?"

"Girl, forget it."

"No, no way. I'm tired of being pushed aside. I want to know," Aurora said, the pores opening, black wires wrapping around her arm. "Now."

"Aurora, control yourself," Liu-Ken said and took a step forward. "He didn't help us the first time and won't help us now."

"If they know of his existence, why doesn't anyone kill him?"

"Because he rejected Yin and isolated himself from the world. His undead army controls every floor of the inhospitable tower where he lives. Several legions of cultivators and even martial arts warriors dared to try and none of them returned alive. The reward for his head is the highest on this continent," Liu-Ken told her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "now control yourself. We can't risk going into other towns if you can't keep your black chi in total control,"

Aurora still hadn't answered when he realized why. The black wheels of smoke had infiltrated his fingers and were slowly seizing the veins in his arms, rising to his neck. They didn't stop there. Aurora watched, incredulously, her mouth still half-open, the black lines filling Liu-Ken's face. His skin wrinkled over a dozen years within seconds. It withered until the bones stood out, his cheekbones able to cut.

"What... what's happening?" Aurora asked him.

"I needed you to see this," Liu replied. A wrinkled voice, empty eyes about to jump out of their sockets. "it's not only the mana that you can absorb but also other people's essence. It starts with chi and when there is no more, it sucks everything else in. A normal villager would have died by now. Even I won't last more than 10 minutes if you continue. The ring gives me extra strength, but not enough. Focus. Don't let fear control you."

"I can't stop this. I'm trying," Aurora said, trying to move her hands, taking them off, but nothing worked.

"Look at me," Liu told her, his face already a mixture of white layers of porridge, "take a deep breath. Think of the reasons that brought you here. You got this. Now focus. Don't cry. Don't complain."

Aurora closed her eyes. Her adoptive parents' faces appeared before her. They smiled and told her that everything was going to be all right. And, even though it was only a memory, Aurora could have sworn that they were there, that they were aware of what was happening and, supported her even though they did not agree with her decision. It was for them that she was there. She regained her fingers' sensation and closed them as she breathed deeply, savoring the mana around her, absorbing it, spewing the toxic chi out of her mouth.

"Open your eyes, Aurora. You have to see the consequences of your actions," Liu-Ken said, the voice now sounding healthier.

Aurora opened them. Black powder flew around the two, blending with scorched fire feathers. One by one, her fingers freed themselves from the invisible chains that held them together as if they were glued to the mentor's body. Liu's skin rose, returning to its place, the black lines receding throughout his body.

The girl yelled. The black chi returned to her body, clashing with the already absorbed mana. Such a slender, still fragile body was not able to hold that much energy for a long time. She pointed his hands up and fired black chains across the air. They mixed, zigzagging, rotating around each other until they rose high enough to be shielded by sunlight and absolutely vanished.

They both lay down on the ground, breathing irregularly, their fingers tumbling on the ground. Under the blazing sunlight, all the marks, spots, signs, and traces stood out.

"Are all your days so... busy?" Aurora asked and laughed despite the chest pains.

"Believe it or not, my days were much more peaceful when I lived alone," Liu-Ken replied, also laughing, some of the bones snapping as he bowed his head.

"Boring, you mean."

"Maybe. Not that I missed having to run away," Liu-Ken said, his eyes resting on an orange-beaked bird that rested on the roof.

"What's next?" Aurora asked, changing the course of the conversation. She couldn't know what the man next to him had already gone through, but she realized how hard it had been for him whenever his voice trembled at the end of the sentence like a long memory that faded with time.

"Lunch. Recovering energy. Then go back to basic training. You will climb the rock."

"Again?"

"And a dozen more. It's good for you. The more times, the better you'll control your chi. Besides, that water is good for you. It has medicinal properties. You didn't really think the house was built here by accident, did you? Whoever built this one knew exactly what he was doing. It was the same water I laid on your forehead," he said.

"He could just like the view."

"That's a bonus," Liu-Ken said, and he let out a rough laugh again. It took him a few seconds to be able to walk. He wasn't gliding on the floor anymore. His muscles were stiff and heavy. He walked up to the shoji, "I'll make lunch. Don't take long," he said.

Aurora lay there for a few minutes. The sky seemed different to her this time. The clouds moved at an unusual speed. Her muscles were sore, and her vision darkened until she could only see a thin blue line up there.

"I'll do it. Even if it's alone," she whispered. The words gave her strength. Misfortune had befallen her and yet she was hopeful that better days were to come. She hadn't told Liu-Ken but had already thought several times of raising her adoptive parents' bodies. Perhaps there was even a way to give them a semblance of human life. She would do it, even if she had to give them a piece of his own soul.

She got up and headed for the kitchen.