Kirin sat on top of a rock outcrop, looking far into the distance, he was clad in a thick supple fur coat dyed black, hand gloves thicker than dough to keep the frost off his fingers, metal laced boots that swung freely in the air from where he sat.
His entire outfit contrasted the snowy white mountains, still lost in thought about why he had bothered coming all the way here when he could have drank some hot wine while cultivating, his growth had been stumped for months, years actually and it kept nagging him that his fellow clan mates had left him behind, gaining more strength.
But here he was, in the mountains, looking for sapphire gems, these gems were higher in purity and soul essence than a regular soul stone and he knew why he had been sent out to get them. Because his level was so low, they couldn't think of anything better than him going to find soul stones.
"Damnation" he cursed at himself, he didn't hear the light footsteps that slowly approached him.
"Cursing again, are you? You're sad enough as it is, keep this up and you'll end up like my Uncle Han" Seth said as he emerged from the forest.
"You have an Uncle Han?" Kirin asked curiously.
"I had, he's dead now" Seth replied with a sheepish smile.
"Aaaahhh" Kirin grunted, he turned his attention to Seth.
In his hands he held a few glowing crystals that gave off a light blue hue, it was amazing that he could hold the sapphire gems bare handed considering how cold they were by nature, they could freeze a man's fingers off.
"How many did you get?" Kirin asked, Seth grinned at him showing him the four gems that lay in his hands, still unaffected by the cold, shivers ran down Kirin's spine at the thought of enduring the maddening cold if he had decided to come alone.
Once more he was grateful for having a friend like Seth, he was one of the few people that hadn't abandoned him after Kirin had found out about his unknown curse and extremely low cultivation base.
"Don't you feel the numbing cold?" Kirin asked, genuinely out of curiosity.
"I mean, not exactly, I'm at the First Martial stage so I have some resistance to some natural elements " Seth replied.
"Must be nice" Kirin scoffed as he jumped off the rock outcrop and approached Seth, Kirin stood a foot taller than him but it didn't matter much to him.
Seth on the other hand had an athletic build with grey hair and grey eyes to match, he wore silky white loose fitted clothes, being unaffected by the cold.
"Did you absorb any?" Kirin asked Seth as they walked back in the direction of the clan, Seth walked behind him making no sound, while the loud crunch of Kayden's boots could be heard in the far distance.
"I really wanted to, but the risk is too much" He replied.
"Whatever you say genius," Kirin said with a wave of his hand, he kept his eyes forward while he matched through the thick snow, thoughts ran through his mind, mundane as they were, it was enough to give him serenity. The comfort of his room, the warm floor, the blankets, the hot wine...
His thoughts gave him assurance, gave him enough strength to keep pushing, Seth caught up to him trying to start a conversation, Kirin wasn't in the mood for talking, but it didn't matter much, when Seth decided he wanted to be heard, he would be heard.
The idea of being completely alone didn't sound so bad at that moment, but Kirin shook his head after feeling the chilling cold from the sapphire soul stones.
"What are you going to do about your cultivation? You haven't made much progress in months, and before your last breakthrough it took you years, how long will it take you this time?" Seth asked incessantly.
Kirin stopped almost immediately, "You think I don't know that?" He spat at Seth, his mood had suddenly turned foul. "I've been cracking my head for years about why my cultivation hasn't improved in the slightest."
"Damn it, Seth, I'm barely stronger than a mundane human, I can't keep living my life like this" Kirin gritted his teeth in frustration, his fists balled up, nails digging deeply into his skin
"So what now? Suicide?" Seth asked, he said it with a straight face, Kirin almost thought he was serious, he looked at him perplexed then at the heavens, he wondered why he had the worst luck with people.
Sadly, he wasn't far from the truth. There were Indeed men who claimed their own lives because they couldn't get past a certain point in their cultivation. They were called, 'The Shamed'.
"Really? Of all the advice you could give me" Kirin sighed, he felt exasperated.
"I mean, there's not much of a solution for you, even the physicians have given up on you, especially the grand physician," he said the last part with a bit of caution.
"So what? I should give up? Go back to being a mundane human? Disgrace my lineage and family? Dishonor my parents?" Kirin asked, anger seeping into his voice.
"Calm yourself brat, I'm not big on honor and all that stuff but I'm just saying man, you could do something else?" He stuttered.
Kirin looked at Seth, he had a feeling he didn't want a response from Seth but asked either way, "Do what?" He asked curiously.
"A scholar?" Seth replied with an awkward grin on his face.
Kirin looked at Seth for a good ten seconds thinking of how best he could kill a clansman without taking the blame for it.
"You want me? Heir to the Arcanus family to become a scholar?" Kirin asked, his words came out slow and direct. Even a man with half a wit would understand the implications.
"In my defense, the Arcanus family is known to be proficient in ancient spells and lores of magic tomes, it doesn't seem like a bad idea being a scholar, not to mention how adept in thinking you are with that head of yours. I'm sure you'd be able to figure it out," Seth responded.
Kirin grew quiet, he knew what Seth meant, if he couldn't raise his cultivation level anymore he would be discarded as a disciple in the clan, or sent away, but he had nowhere to return to. Even his family rejected him, so his last resort would be him being a scholar.
He said nothing and kept walking in silence, thinking of several ways to solve his stagnation, he had made his elixirs himself, understood the precepts behind magic circles, made enchantments, and given his body up to be studied in hopes that he would succeed in finding the problem with him.
But nothing, absolutely nothing was wrong with him, if anything he was told he had an exceedingly healthy body, fully tampered, blessed by the heavens themselves, a warriors body, yet here he was slowly being pushed away from the oath he so desperately desired.
"You're keeping that face again, what's on your mind this time?" Seth asked suddenly, bringing Kirin out of his reverie, he sighed in defeat, watching his breath fog with every breath he took.
"I just wanted to honor my dead parents, my family, I want to be strong enough to protect those I care about," he spoke calmly.
"To not taint the family of Arcanus, to have my own worth in a society where strength is the measure of one's value... Is that too much to ask?" Kirin asked but was met by silence, Seth said nothing, there was nothing but silence, the only answer that could be given to a man not strong enough to change his own fate.
"I just want strength, like every other warrior, like every other family, like every man who has something to protect, in this realm those without strength are sheep, fodder, for the strong to take from and use, I've been mutton all my life, I can't be that any longer," Kirin said with renewed determination.
"So what are you going to do?" Seth asked with a smile, he knew Kirin better than anyone and knew he wasn't a man so easily defeated.
"No matter how long it takes, how far I have to search, I will find strength, my own strength, I will be strong!" His voice sounded sure.
"Strong enough to make the realm tremble, to scorn those to disrespect my pride, my origins, whatever it takes, this is my oath," Kirin swore looking at the heavens, a slight rumble was heard from the skies, as though the heavens bore witness to his oath.
"Indeed you will," Seth smiled, patting his back as he walked past Kirin heading towards the clan.