OptimysticStories

Chapter 24 - Black Fist Gate

54th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt slept poorly that night. Doubt haunted his soul, and he feared it might escalate into a heart demon. He almost gave up on going to Black Fist sect, only to realize that running away from his fears would turn his potential problem more substantial.

He left the clan with nothing but three spirit gems and a purse of coins, wearing his clan’s traditional red robe with a wide orange sash under a gray travel cloak. E...

Chapter 23 - Silence and Dreams

46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt said nothing, because he did not know what to say. Elder Stronggrow had dedicated his life to the clan, sacrificing his own growth and cultivation to teach new generations. The notion moved him deeply. He wanted to help his respected senior, to provide the resources he needed to advance, to extend his life, and seek new heights. He wanted, but did not know how to.

The sorrow with which the wise old man discussed ...

Chapter 22 - Meditation and Comprehension

46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

“Teacher, there is something I wish to ask of you,” Newt lowered his gaze, his heart beating in his throat.

“What is it, Newstar? How can I help?” Elder Stronggrow offered an encouraging smile, motioning Newt to continue.

“Could you please take over as the clan’s patriarch?” Elder Stronggrow’s motivational smile died a horrible death as his mouth twisted into a scowl.

“Please!” Newt beg...

Chapter 21 - Blazing Salamander Ancestral Techniques

46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

While three men wept, six others stared without saying a word. Two of them had the decency to look away in shame, but the rest were just waiting for the sappy reunion to finish so they could pursue their own agendas.

“Teacher, I…” Newt hesitated through tears. “I killed him. I swear it was an accident, but I—”

“You did good, Newstar, all of this is your uncle’s fault.” Elder Stronggrow’s face...

Chapter 20 - The Clan

46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt’s whole body shuddered, his gaze glued to the blood pooling on the floor. Huddled against the mine’s rough rocks, he had dreamed about it hundreds of times; about killing his uncle, about executing the traitor, but he did not really mean to do it.

“It was an accident.” His chin wobbled as tears ran down his cheeks. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”

The two terrified women were the only witnesses, h...

Chapter 19 - Decadent Traitor

46th of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt stopped before the closed gate, wondering why his clan had allowed vines to smother and conceal the fearsome ancestral guardian statues which flanked the main gate. They spat on thousands of years of tradition for the sake of greenery blooming with white and purple flowers.

Nobody had noticed him yet, which was even more unacceptable. The security his father insisted on had grown so lax, he reached the gate witho...

Chapter 18 - Difficult Choices

43rd of Season of Earth, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Spiritual energy gushed out of Newt’s twin spirit roots, flooding his body, reinforcing and nourishing it. He was still scrawny, ten weeks of slightly better diet barely keeping up with the increased physical activity from exercises and mining spirit gems.

In two and a half months, Newt had mined a wealth of spirit gems, enough to see him through two to three layers if he drew all their energy. The problem was, he d...

Chapter 17 - The Perfect Realm

57th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Cultivators defined the Perfect Realm as one free of heart demons, cultivated exactly according to its master’s wishes. Most cultivators ignored it, rushing forward, seeking power which comes with increased spiritual energy capacity, extended longevity, and refined physique.

Newt’s father, however, insisted on this perfection. “One reaches further with perfect preparations, one builds a taller, sturdier building ...

Chapter 16 - The Unfriendly Spar

56th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

The only heart demons left were Newt’s old sparring partner and his uncle. Newt had not caught a glimpse of his uncle, and the fact scared him more than the velociraptors and Borhem combined.

Newt waited in his cavern, practicing and altering his techniques for hours, however, neither heart demon appeared. Exhausted from the exertion, Newt went to sleep. He awoke and ate the rest of his meat before going up for bread...

Chapter 15 - Battling Velociraptors

55th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Velociraptors’ howls washed over Newt’s body, shaking his bones. He tried to fight his irrational terror, but the fearsome shriek made his legs shaky, barely able to support his weight.

Calm down. It’s just a child’s fear. Your skin is impervious to dinosaur claws, but even if they can somehow pierce it, at most they will leave harmless scratches.

Newt could logically explain everything, but his ...

Chapter 14 - Heart Demons

55th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Common velociraptors, often shortened to simply raptors, were small dinosaurs humans had tamed for hunting and as pets. The real, non-spirit beasts barely reached Newt’s knees. Snout to tail they measured around six feet and rarely weighed more than thirty-five pounds.

The monsters charging towards Newt had nothing to do with reality. They were packed with sinewy muscles, five feet tall, and weighed at least three hu...

Chapter 13 - End of the Three-year-long Nightmare

54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt sat in a dimly lit cave, staring at a wall he could hardly see. The jagged floor and debris bit into his butt, and the echo of a distant wind whispered into his ears.

“Was that a dream?”

Tears slid down Newt’s cheeks as he struggled for air. He was a mine slave, a wretched creature.

No!
He closed his eyes, and tried to feel his realm, and the twin pearls of fire and earth pulsating in...

Chapter 12 - The Apex Predator

54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

The pterosaur appeared less than thirty seconds after Magmin gave the warning. The behemoth had a wingspan of almost twenty feet, its body taller than Newt.

And yet, despite its imposing size, menacing red eyes, and the aura of terror it emanated, it was identical to the orchard pests Newt slung rocks at when he was a boy.

Magmin shuddered, coiling in fear, but Newt moved. He activated Magmin Scales, dark-red sca...

Chapter 11 - Mighty Attack

54th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt wanted to protest, to say he was not ready to confront the heart demon, but he knew Magmin would have none of it.

“Can we test my Magmin Scales one last time before I advance a layer? Please?”

The serpent snorted, then spoke. “Fine. We can test it once.”

Newt suppressed a grin, his heart beating faster, as he circulated spiritual energy and summoned his Magmin Scales to cover his hand. His exci...

Chapter 10 - Granite Crust

53rd of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt could not believe it, but he got the Granite Crust on his first attempt. The technique was identical to Magmin Scales, but instead of covering him in fire-aligned spiritual energy, a solid shell of earth-aligned spiritual energy crept across his skin.

“Well, I never expected you would do it correctly on your first attempt, but it makes sense. If you have a natural water affinity, mastering earth and air should c...

Chapter 9 - Fire’s Nature

51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt paid close attention to the interaction between Magmin Scales and the flames trying to burn him. It took several attempts and several long breaks to recover spiritual energy until he understood the defensive technique’s principles.

He originally believed Magmin Scales would absorb the heat, but that was not the case. The technique instead fought fire with fire, burning and canceling each other out.

“Shou...

Chapter 8 - Magmin Scales

51st of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

“Do you think you can teach me Magmin Flame now?” Newt asked, but Magmin shook his head.

“No. You are a newt. You must first learn Magmin Scales, lest you burn yourself to cinders.” The serpent’s response landed like a hammer against a bell, snapping Newt from his foolish rush. He wanted to bash his head against the low ceiling because of how careless he was.

Magmin could have killed him right then and ...

Chapter 7 - Magmin Grove

50th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt had slept for ten hours straight and woke up next to a pile of crystals. He devoured sixty before depleting the mound and closing his eyes while drifting into meditative trance.

He ignored his uncle’s insults and his former sparring partner’s taunts, focusing on cultivating his realm.

A thick column of rock with a spear-like tip burst from the ground, piercing high into the sky. The eruption of lava stop...

Chapter 6 - Third Eye

47th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt closed his eyes and tried to focus on his third eye, the mind’s eye. He willed himself to observe the world through his glabella, but his world remained dark, with lava gurgling and bubbling in the background.

Newt’s parents lacked the mythical organ. In fact, the last of their line who possessed the second spirit root was the honored ancestor, Lord Blazing Salamander. Unfortunately for the Blazing Salamander ...

Chapter 5 - Building Foundations

45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Newt knew a lot about cultivation. His father had expounded on the topic ever since Newt was old enough to understand his words. The realm was a blank slate, a barren wasteland of mortal dust for the cultivator to sculpt, to cultivate.

Cultivators populated their realm with symbolic objects and structures, fields of swords or spears, forests of shields, complex fortresses vaster than any material structures, and much m...

Chapter 4 - Prodigious Expansion

45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

Magmin graciously gifted Newt with a total of sixty-four spirit gems, and the youth devoured them voraciously.

“How much time does a spirit gem take to form?” Newt asked, looking at the tree, counting six remaining fruits, confirming that this one too only had eight sparkling crystals on it.

Magmin led the way uphill, taking two spirit gems from each tree they passed.

“The time varies, but I do not kn...

Chapter 3 - Greetings Teacher

45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

“What would happen if I grabbed one of those spirit gems and absorbed its energy?” Newt asked, gazing at the shiny pinecones with undisguised longing.

“I would bite you for stealing.” Magmin glowered at Newt viciously, and the youth backed a step.

“No need to be hostile. I was merely asking.” Newt failed to hide his dejection, but then he cheered up and changed his approach. “Is there something I can do...

Chapter 2 - Enter Magmin

45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle

The gargantuan creature swept the forest with its gaze, but its bloodshot eyes failed to find prey. The monster screeched in frustration, sending shivers down Newt’s spine, before it flapped its leathery wings and flew away.

The youth heaved a breath of relief and looked around, fearing other heart demons might prowl the sweltering, calcified forest.

“Is it gone?” a dark-red serpent asked, gazing at the sky. 2024-09-27 06:24:48 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 1 - Twin Suns

45th of Season of Fire, 56th year of the 32nd cycle,

the day of summer solstice

The mine shaft was dim, illuminated by the dull glow of spirit gem detritus embedded into the walls. The dry air suffused with fine dust hampered Newt’s breathing, still, the young man’s worn out pickaxe struck the granite with a bang, sending a spark and a trickle of crushed rock to the ground.

Nothing.

Steel struck rock again and again, much like it did the past three years, ev...