Chapter 1: Into The Wild

On the way back from home to cave zero eight, Zax was torn with his decision to leave his family and friends, even though he stopped talking to them, for three years. When he saw his parents' eyes, Zax traced regret in them. It made him ask himself all the more what his big sister told them to make them agree to let him go. Ultimately Zax kept his questions buried in his wondering mind. 'Maybe', he came up with one possible solution. 'They chose to benefit of the doubt in their decision, by believing that they are giving me what they denied from big sis, when she was at my age, and her Master, in return, gave her... ?'

"It will take us around seven days to reach my Master's cave". Zetsa informed Zax.

She parked her Sun K-79 at the entrance to cave zero eight. Apart from the clothes he was wearing, Zetsa did not let him bring provisions, not even his wristwatch.

"How many caves do we need to cross before we get there?" Zax asked. Any step closer to their destination or away from home made the decision easier.

"Somewhere along the lines of one hundred and seven-eight caves, all in the beasts' territory". Zetsa mused and said.

"That much in seven days? On foot?"

If the caves were paved with proper pedestrian roads, even then it would take a day or two to cross one cave.

"Can't we go on your Sun?"

"Relax, little Zi, seven days are more than enough. If I was alone then two days would have been enough, three if I took my time. It will take us longer because I plan to carry you with my mist energy and let you rest during the nights".

"On your back?" Zax timidly asked. He was almost twelve and the seed of manliness and self awareness has already started to sprout.

"Only if you wanna". Zetsa pinched his cheek, smiling. She was filled with anxiety for she knew what awaits her little brother, and yet happy beyond belief that the relationship between Zax and her was slowly mending.

At the other end of tunnel seventy eight.

"Don't move". Zetsa ordered Zax as her hands were suddenly surrounded by her dark silvery mist energy and emitted a glowing aura of the same hues. She drew symbols first on her palms, second on the air, third on Zax's torso. "This formation is infused with both of our energies, mostly mine, almost none of yours, but it will exhaust you nonetheless". Zetsa said as Zax's body gradually rose from the ground until he was twenty centimeters from Zetsa and at eye level with her. "Think of it as advanced telekinesis". She added as she watched Zax's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Like in the movies?" Zax asked while waving his arms. His body was no longer bound by gravity and it was even stranger than being inside his sea of consciousness. Any wrong movement could make him flip uncontrollably and the only thing that anchored him to the same place was the base symbols on his big sister. Wherever she will move to, he will have no choice but to follow.

Telekinesis was the term people used in fiction movies and shows. It was different than the ability of an expert Mist User to move objects; it did not require mist energy. They called it a Devine Ability in the movies.

"Like if you train hard then in the future you might be able to use". Zetsa replied and stabilize Zax. "It's a bit tasking, but great for extended use of carrying something, or someone, while having to keep your hands free and it makes the object half its weight". Zetsa shrugged and turned her back to Zax. "Anyway, if your body starts turning, reach your hands and grab my shoulders ... or you can just ask and I'll carry you with my hands". She smirked and, like an arrow leaving the string of a bow, kicked the ground and shot onto the air in a piercing jump.

...

In the numerous forests, valleys and ridges that Zax and Zetsa traveled they encountered all sorts of beast. Some, Zetsa explained, did not possess an Earth's Core and therefore, in terms of ranking, the cultivation of their three aspects was lower than level F. However, because of inborn capabilities, supreme instincts and physique, some coreless beasts at adulthood could contend, by solely relying on their bodies, against Mist Users under the Core Breaker level.

Learning this out only strengthened Zax's resolve to go through the hell his big sister warned him about.

Apart from learning about the benefit of a strong body, Zax also learned a few survival skills and their current whereabouts in the beasts' territory.

The caves they crossed belonged to the outer parts of the beasts' territory and were under the five sovereign tribes – including the cave of Zetsa's Master. There were around twenty to thirty other tribes of beasts in the outer parts, but only the five sovereign tribes had experts in the Mist Lord level. The strongest beasts in the other twenty to thirty tribes were only at the Core Breaker level. Naturally, all the members of every tribe possessed an Earth's Core.

Except beasts that resided in tribes, there were beasts which lived alone or in other forms of the word "Pack" but "Tribe", and those were known as "Wild Beasts". Wild beasts, such as the Earth Shattering Brown Digger, were the beasts that even if they got a hold on an Earth's Core, lacked or did not evolve the minimal mentality to cultivate it or could not break through beyond level F or E.

The outer parts of the beasts' territory were abundant with wild beasts. Though it was not needed – because instincts warned the wild beasts from Zetsa's presence and even Zax's Soul Sense as he embed an hostile intent and used it playfully – Zetsa taught Zax of the unique attributes of the flora on their way. She showed him flowers that help disguise one's own smell, trees with edible bark, harmless insect and small beasts that squirt fluids that were toxic and can madden certain type of carnivore beasts.

Zetsa taught Zax to use his Soul Sense not just to make his strength clear to aggressive beasts by embedding his intent in it, but to also assess the content of fruits and body parts of beasts, once they were sliced open and before he ate them, to check if they were not contaminated by their own poison at the moment of death.

Drinking water was the most difficult thing to find in the beasts' territory. Above ground rivers and lakes were in one out of four caves and they were usually dominated by packs of territorial wild beasts or were shared or fought over by the tribes. If one wanted to drink water in the beasts' territory the options were to either risk it in the rivers and lakes or find a common type of plant called Blue Bark tree, which was filled with bitter sweet water.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye and the last tunnel on their path to the cave of Zetsa's Master was a few hundred meters ahead.

"Remember what I told you, Zax". Zetsa meant her explanation about the beasts in her Master's cave, which by the way was not numbered. "Try to be as you are ... as you used to be at home. Putting aside how strict my Master is, my Martial uncle and brothers and sisters", they were her Master's other apprentices and younger brother, the one she told him that found him. "They are good natured and receiving. I'll introduce you to the ones that are currently in the cave, since there are always few outside, you won't get to know them all at once, but you still should remember ... of my fellow apprentices three are my seniors, my two elder Martial brothers and my elder Martial sister. Aside from them I have four juniors, two younger Martial brothers and two younger Martial sisters. Two of my seniors are always outside, so I'm not sure who you'll get to meet first, either way you should act respectfully to each and every one of them without exception".

"Although we will be the only humans, the intelligent of my fellow apprentices is not inferior to any human of the same level of cultivation!" Zetsa made a point to herself to insert this information to Zax's head every once in a while.

"Afterwards I'll introduce you to my Martial uncle. Over a year ago he started a session of closed doors training and a month ago he finally came out. The position of my Martial uncle is second only to my Master's, but in terms of personality ... sometimes they seem alike but it's easier to get along with my Martial uncle, just be extra respectable toward him since he was the one to-"

"To find me..." Zax finished. He asked her once about who they will meet when they will reach her Master's cave and the answer kept replaying every day. "Are you going to tell me again about the Krikitory tribe?"

The beasts of the Krikitory tribe are the original dwellers of her Master's cave. According to what Zetsa taught him, the Krikitory made up their name to sound similar to her Master's name out of their veneration toward him. Outside her Master's cave the Krikitory are formally known as the Deep Water Bear tribe, but inside of the cave it is better to refer to them by their own chosen name, otherwise thy will get offended.