As soon as the particle exited the channel and reached the arteries, the pain Zephyr had been enduring vanished—as if dozens of needles that had been piercing his body all at once were suddenly removed.
But he did not allow his focus to waver due to the disappearance of the pain or the joy of the particle entering; this was merely the beginning.
Zephyr continued concentrating on the particle inside the artery, as Arlund had told him he must control the particle well and not allow it to drift with the bloodstream.
The particle was disintegrating under the pressure of the blood flow, and what kept it from being swept away was Zephyr's willpower holding it in place.
Zephyr organized the steps in his mind—first, he had to guide it against the current to the center of his heart, then leave it there.
Zephyr directed his will toward the particle, which responded obediently and began to move with difficulty inside the blood vessels, pushing against the bloodstream. Zephyr struggled with this guidance—it felt as though he was exerting all his mental energy to force the particle forward.
Like a man swimming upstream, facing the resistance of water with his frail body,
So too was the particle of ascension. But Zephyr, determined to deliver it, kept resisting,
And continued to push it forward.
Zephyr was nearing the limits of his mental capacity. He began to hope he would reach the heart's center soon, feeling tortured by the intensity of concentration he was applying to the energy particle.
Outside, far from Zephyr, stood Arlund and Sareen, in addition to Zakrux, who had suddenly appeared just like he had the previous night.
The three of them watched Zephyr, clearly observing his physical condition.
They had noticed how Zephyr began sweating profusely when he was facing the pain of the particle entering through the transport channel,
Then saw how his face relaxed afterward as the pain disappeared—
Confirming their expectations that he had successfully inserted the particle.
Then they noticed how his brows furrowed again and the grimace on his face intensified—
They knew he was now moving the particle through the arteries leading to his heart.
Back to Zephyr—
He was nearing the center of his heart.
He encouraged himself: "Endure… you'll make it… Endure, I'm close."
Then—
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum—
The sound of Zephyr's heartbeat echoed in his consciousness.
And then—
The particle reached the center of the heart.
When Zephyr lost control of the particle, he was surprised and tried to redirect it, but his attempts failed.
He wondered internally: "What's happening?"
Then the particle began moving on its own
Until it reached the very center of the heart.
The heart beat steadily, unaffected by the entry of the particle.
As for the ascension particle itself, it settled in the center—as if this place had been its old home.
Zephyr was anxious, feeling the particle move,
But his anxiety eased when he saw how it moved on its own and then stabilized in its new place.
After observing it for a few seconds and confirming that nothing strange was happening,
He exhaled in relief and let his consciousness exit its meditative state.
Outside, the three observers had noticed how Zephyr's grimace deepened and then how he sighed in relief and opened his eyes—
They walked toward him, eager for news.
Zephyr opened his eyes and sighed deeply—his mind exhausted to a great extent. Perhaps it was the first time in his life his brain had suffered this level of pressure.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he lay down on the ground and looked up at the sky above, filled with stars.
The scene resembled the sight of ascension energy and its various particles. He kept staring at it—until a head extended into his field of vision, ruining the tranquil view.
It was Arlund's head, which he leaned into Zephyr's line of sight.
Zephyr either wasn't interested in their presence, or he was so focused on the sky that he didn't notice them. Most likely, it was the second option.
"What's wrong with you, boy? Did you forget we were here?" Arlund asked.
Zephyr replied, ignoring Arlund's question, "I succeeded."
Arlund responded, "It's obvious you did. Now tell us—what happened?"
Zephyr continued, "I directed the particle just like I did the previous night, and I made sure to choose the smallest one I could find.
Then, as usual, I directed it toward the separating barrier.
I prepared myself for the pain, then pushed it through the channel. The pain was mild at first, but in the middle of the channel, it intensified significantly—
Then it eased again.
At that point, I passed through the channel and reached the arteries.
I faced strong resistance—I had to use all my mental strength to resist the blood current until I finally reached the heart.
Then something strange happened—I lost control of the particle, and it moved on its own until it settled in the center of my heart."
Arlund nodded in understanding at Zephyr's words and responded, "Right, I forgot to tell you about the part where you lose control of the ascension particle—it's an automatic process that happens effortlessly."
Zephyr nodded in understanding at Arlund's explanation and didn't pay much attention to the matter. As long as it didn't harm him, why should he care?
Arlund then spoke again,
"Well, boy, now you have a choice: do you want to gather more ascension energy or rest?"
Zephyr didn't even think about it—his mind was too exhausted.
Arlund had been right when he said the ascension process was difficult and took years for ordinary people.
The mental pressure alone could be enough to make someone give up quickly.
Perhaps facing that feeling once or twice could be manageable—
But repeating the same experience daily, for hours and hours, wasn't something just anyone could endure.
Zephyr ended his day by falling asleep.
Then, as usual, he began a new day, walking along the desert's edge with the others, approaching their new destination.
And at night, after all the mercenaries had gone to sleep—
Zephyr and Sareen stood facing each other, and their fight began as usual.
Zephyr was able to counter Sareen in some of the clashes, showing that he had gained more experience than when he first arrived in this new world.
Yet still, it was impossible to defeat Sareen—
Whose strong body had been honed by years of battle,
And whose mind had been shaped by suffering and pain.
Zephyr aimed his fist toward Sareen's neck—a sensitive area where a blow could cut off breathing and be enough to take someone down.
But Sareen blocked it with his palm, then countered with a kick.
Zephyr backed away instead of taking the hit—
But it seemed Sareen had anticipated Zephyr's retreat. As soon as Zephyr's foot pulled back,
Sareen lunged and pinned him to the ground, then flipped him onto his stomach and choked him—thus ending the training.
Sareen let go of Zephyr and stood up, then extended his hand to help him up.
"You've improved a lot. What you're missing now is real combat experience," Sareen praised.
Zephyr accepted the compliment gladly—
Days of pain and beatings had finally paid off.
They were right—
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
After finishing his physical training, it was time for energy training.
Zephyr sat down and straightened his posture, relaxing his muscles as usual.
He regulated his heartbeat and breathing, then—
Entered a meditative state.
His consciousness appeared among the sea of particles, searching for the smallest one.
He found what he was looking for—a very small particle, but it was moving more energetically than the others.
Zephyr took control of it and pulled it toward the barrier wall, where his heart was.
He prepared himself for the pain he would soon face, then—woosh—
The particle entered through the existing channel. Zephyr had chosen the same channel he used before, wanting to test a theory he had in mind:
Perhaps using the same channel he had already pierced through might reduce the pain since it had already been widened.
But unfortunately, his theory failed—
As soon as he inserted the particle, the pain struck him again.
Zephyr had prepared himself for all possibilities, so he continued guiding the particle, pushing through the pain—
It traveled the same path as the previous day.
It passed through a narrower section, intensifying the pain, then eased again after crossing it.
Then it exited the channel and reached the artery,
Facing the same bloodstream flowing in the opposite direction.
Zephyr wasn't surprised—he had mentally prepared himself unlike the last time.
He immediately began guiding the particle against the current, directing it toward his heart.
Zephyr focused all his mental energy and concentration on guiding the particle—he suffered the same agony as the previous night, his mind deeply strained—
Until he finally reached the destination—
The heart.
Zephyr felt a sense of mental relief when the particle reached the same place as the previous one.
Then suddenly, he lost control of the particle—
It began moving on its own, toward where the previous particle was.
It moved slowly, while Zephyr observed it with his consciousness.
Zephyr prepared himself for the upcoming reaction—Arlund had told him that when the first two particles unite, they merge, and a reaction occurs that differs from person to person—some feel cold, others heat, others a jolt.
Zephyr continued watching.
The particle approached its twin,
And as soon as they touched, one began to orbit the other.
Then the rotation slowed—
And one merged into the other.
Then the spinning stopped.
And as if in perfect sync with Zephyr's heartbeat—
Ba-dum.
The particle vanished.