Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 217: There be dragons

1016 LIGHTMONTH

ARIAL VERMONT, LINZI TEMPLE

The chirping of birds and the breeze of the hot air breathe life to him. The air around here is fresh, the mountains and hill create one of the most beautiful scenery he has seen during sunset.

The monks are outside. Some of them are in the inner temple chanting and praying, trying to understand and learn from the Elder Monk.

Some recites the Analects. While some senior monks are practicing the Calming Movement, while some are practicing their martial arts technique in the Hall of Strength

A month has passed since Arial journey from Arrandy. Summer has arrived. Usually in summer his father would go the beaches and spend time with his mother.

It is his way of spoiling his mother and his mother usually oblige. Maybe this summer they brought Adrianna with them too.

His younger sister. By now, she would three years of age. When he was at Arrandy he rarely visits the mansion because of many matters in the castle.

Arial would like, of course, to spend more time with his younger sister. How much has she grown? he wondered

Heat is rising outside signs of summer heat. Sunny days and intermittent showers sometimes occurred.

Even the monks can sometimes seem to be sweating mostly new monks. For the experienced monks they meditate in their chamber and regulate their Qi, their term for internal energy.

Here they do not make festivities as his people usually do when summer came.

In summer the people of Aetherland and Arrandy spend their times outside their house, kids playing and running around the city, the people plays in the beach.

It can only be achieved because of the peace in Arrandy and Aetherland, so rarely happens in other parts of the Human Continent, because of strength of Arrandy protector.

Arial Army. The Vermont army. And this kind of season reminds him of his friends and family that he left in Arrandy.

Arial hope they are doing well. By now, Kyle and West must have arrived at Arrandy and they must have told his family what happen.

Lisa is probably miffed that he didn't tell her, and Helia.and at this he smiled. she must be furious

The sunny days reminds him of what he always does with them in times of summer. There is a lot thing he did of course but certain memories are stronger than some.

In times of summer and peace, he always spends it with Helia, Kyle and Lisa making bonfire and roasted ox meats, and camping around Arrandy, under the clear sky, watching the stars and tell their stories.

It seems a century ago. It seems such innocence is no longer afforded. No longer can be reached.

Time takes it all. Time takes it all, time bear it all. And in the end there is only darkness.

Now each of them have grown up and responsibilities are weighing on them. Kyle as Lord, Lisa as a lady, and he as their liege lord, a prince and duke, holding power instead being enslaved by it.

Arial have been accustomed to hate nobles but in this timeline, he is the nobles and he is determined to make sure this time it is different.

Better. For him and the people around him. Outside he can hear the monk chanting their prayers.

Today he sits in the bench around the gardens, admiring the book he got from Southern Healer. Admiring and learning.

Arial have learned many things but these book he held on his hand is one of the most profound teaching he has ever encountered and just goes to show how isolated he is with true knowledge.

To think such book, exist in the Human Continent.

Even the library of the Imperial family didn't have this. To think the Demon Army during the Invasion burned this during the Invasion.

That itself is a crime to knowledge and human history.

The fact that the temple has this kind of book just shows how it is full with many martial art tomes, preserved from Levitia persecution.

The Abbot, thankful that Arial have lent him such precious medical text has lent him the Library of the Temple for him to peruse.

After all, the cure for Seven Worm Poison is a big deal, one that might help other people inflicted with it.

Arial almost hope the Abbot will make slow work of translating the text. The Book that Arial is holding in his hand and currently reading is the Eight Channels of Power.

Beside him, there is another book titled the Divine Sword Finger technique.

It is one of the unique techniques of the Temple and the Abbot allowed him to see it only for today.

He is not allowed to copy the manual or bring it home.

The Abbot must have thought that Arial must not understand the intricacies of the technique and lent it to him, not believing he could master it but he is all too familiar with this technique.

Its difference with Levitia technique is not that distant. However right now he is reading the Eight Channels of Power that explains about the intricacies of internal energy practitioner.

Considering that he is more adept at internal energy than any other division of study in martial art world, Arial focused and trying to learn as much as he can.

It is a translated Lost Generation books which detail the position and how to regulate the internal energy.

Since Arial never learned the normal way, this is a great revelation to him.

Levitia technique, most of them illustrated the progression of internal energy, where to channel it and from where he need to release it and no classification or at least one that he can understand.

In the Temple they called the internal energy Qi.

Qi means extraordinary, wondrous. Then there is Jing. A channel, vessel, meridian. Ba which means eight, Arial noticed translated from another Lost Generation text.

It is no wonder the Temple of Linzi is also called the Temple of Scholars.

And then there is Mai. Movements. Circulation. Pulsation in the channel. It is based on resonance.

Connection between human and nature is everlasting. It is inseparable. Heaven, Humanity and earth which represent three aspects.

The physical, emotional and spiritual.

A system of correspondence brings forth from the Three Teachings and undoubtedly inspires Levitia to create his art.

But this just shows that the Lost Generation also knows this art no doubt owing to the First Generation knowledge.

There is The Three Pure Ones which reflect the interaction of these three forces.

There is white energy, Yang and the black energy Ying and the spiraling center Yuan and represent the three force energy.

Ying, Yang, Yuan.

What interest Arial are the Yin point, cold energy and black energy. The Ghost point. After reading this book he finally knows that his technique is mostly Yang technique.

Hui Yin is the meeting of Ying and has profound influence on the Ying in the body.

That day he read the boo intently, memorizing its content and then after understanding it though not all of it was fully understood, he quickly read the Divine Sword finger technique.

Because its familiarity and Arial have the appropriate internal energy to learn it, by two hours he has learned one third of the technique and understanding the internal energy makes it easier for him.

Two hours later, he has begun shooting invisible internal energy concentrated in his finger and releasing it like he was shooting an energy beam, and make the vase around the yard blow up.

he could not believe the power this technique has.

And that is how he use his day until that night where he has learned in haste two thirds of the books and by midnight he returned back to the Hall of Tomes and give it back to the Elder Monks and return to his room in the temple.

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1016 LIGHTMONTH

ARIAL VERMONT, LINZI TEMPLE, INNER CHAMBER

The next morning, he is summoned to the Abbot Chamber.

'He must have made progress with the text' Arial thought to himself. The moment he enters, the Abbot greeted him and ask him to sit down

'How are you doing this morning?' he asked.

'I am still mostly fine. There is occasional pain but nothing I could not endure' the Abbot nodded. He went silent for a few seconds and then he said

'I have good news and a bad news. First I will tell you the good news. The good news is that there is a cure'

The Abbot said. Arial was about to become happy but then he remembers there is still the bad news

'The bad news?' Arial asked.

'The bad news is that this cure is not easily obtained.'

Arial then finally smile.

Then the Abbot told him how to cure his affliction. Then Arial laughed.

he has never imagined it to be easy. He said that the treatment it describes is a heart swapping.

'Heart swapping. How can that be?' Arial asked. The Abbot then reply calmly

'The only way you can survive is if you rip out your heart and swap it with another heart'

This time Arial is flustered.

'How can you rip your hearts and still be alive?' Arial asked.

'There are ways.' The Abbot said

'It is all explained in the text. It seems the Lost Generation usually did this in the past.'

'It can be done?' Arial asked in incredulity.

'Yes.'

'How?'  Then The Abbot explained to me the procedure in detail. In the past the Lost Generation always cut their heart away and swapped with other people hearts using a knife that emitted heats.

It seems it is a widespread medical practice. They even cut people and attached it back with strings.

Believing the Abbot, Arial then asked

'So with whom could I swap my heart with?' The Abbot sighed

'Not who. But what? You see any normal human heart subjected to such taxing work will make the heart rotten the moment it enters your body. The poison will infect it.'

'Then what?'

He almost smiles 'this is ironic but it detailed one treatment they did when one of them were inflicted the same poison.'

'What?' The Abbot answers

'A dragon heart' and with that Arial eyes widened.

'A dragon heart?'

'Yes.'

'A dragon heart?' Arial repeat back his question like he couldn't believe it and the Abbot nodded. Right now Arial felt like his world spinning. Who would have thought?

If it is a dragon, thenthe Dark Lands. Arial had the answer he moment he thinks about dragons

Only the Dark Lands still have dragons. And Arial try to remember what he knows of dragons.

Arial then sighed. Right now he knows his task here is finished and the Abbot have helped him tremendously. There is no doubt that he could find a sliver of chance if he seeks a dragon heart

'A dragon heart' Arial muttered.

That he certainly understands but even though it looks like a tale only in faery tales this is Arial only choice.

And he chooses to have faith

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