The alchemist path 13 The will to survive.

Looking at it, a weeping cat cub really seemed like a bigger house kitten, a cute, big, gray tabby cat with short hair and green eyes, pity that this particular kitten could have human on his menu if it wants and that it had decided to put its attention on Lazuli. It really was hard to think that such lovely critter could kill you.

The stare contest didn't last for long, the kitten approached without a care in the world, thinking its mighty howl rendered this weir looking animal helpless.It was the first time this particular weeping cat had ever seen a human, in addition to its species being the king supreme of the forest, it's little knowledge told it that there was nothing to worry about. Sadly as the saying goes "curiosity killed the cat".

Maybe, if she were another person, her thoughts would be along the way of keeping the little guy as a pet, raise it to be powerful and keep her safe, but her, here and now it's just a muddle headed little lass thinking "this will kill me".

Next thing she knows it's that the kitten pounces aiming for her, so she swings the log getting a lucky shot at the kitten's head, the body flys in an arc as if weightless a few paces away, silence reigns supreme, not the kind of silence of a tranquil star filled night, but the silence that comes when the mind refuses to register sounds.

It's not that this was the first time for her to take another life, she had grown in a farm, eating the fresher hens one could get, those you kill with your bare hands twisting their necks, but it was the first time she killed in fear, not the "I'll kill it in the morning to cook it and not a single piece of this would be wasted". Even worse it looked like the lovely cat next door.

A new sorrowful cry could be heard, just this time it came from her. She slowly approached the little unmoving body on the floor with her thoughts spiraling out of control, the same questions repeating themselves on her mind:

Is it really dead?

Why did I kill it?

Did I really had to kill it?

Why didn't I keep the periwinkle?

Why am I so useless that I had to hurt a little thing like this to feel safer?

Fresh weeping cat corpse

Type: low level magical beast (cub)

Life energy can be absorbed and refined as baleful for the next 30 minutes.

Caution: After the specific time life force would be damaging for the body if refined as baleful because it will turn into dead energy. Blood and flesh not recommend for human consumption due to incompatibility with human digestive system.

Staring at the corpse while slowly approaching it gave Lazuli new information. Baleful energy, the way of the Asura, she killed the Weeping cat and it could be taken advantage of quelling her guilty conscience a little bit. Killing just for the kill wasn't in sync with her, but killing and not wasting the life taken was something she had learned as a child.

You give thanks for the life you'll consume by using every single piece of it. There was a way know, so she had to do it, at least for washing her guilty conscience a tiny bit more. Just thinking it was me or it wasn't enough, specially when she was doubting the veracity of that.

Now the question was how to refine and absorb the baleful energy, in the books it just said kill, eat and the residual energy would be absorbed even without meditation, the more you kill, the more energy would be available for you body.

That was why absorption speed was important for the Asura path as it didn't matter if you were near a river if all you had to fill your water tank was a bucket.

So how to harness that energy to herself?

Maybe to meditate with the body is her arms?

She gave it a go... and nothing new happened, yes, there was energy going inside of her, but it was the usual energy "of heaven and earth" not a new kind and definitely not from the corpse on her lap.

So what was she missing?

The clock was ticking and the life taken would be wasted.

Maybe, just maybe if she tried to pull the aura out?

She remembered the feeling when bidding her ring, willing her blood to the ring, maybe the process could be reversed? instead of putting her energy in by blood, to take it out from the corpse?

So she tried again, she willed her mind to pull the energy within the cat to herself, she could feel it, her aura expanding beyond her body to the little ball of fur, enveloping inside it and pulling something out.

The life energy that could be converted into baleful was raw and wild, as strong as the little one could potentially become.

She drove it to herself to refine using the only way she knew how: make a trip in her meridians to absorb.

It was harder to tame than the mild energy of immortals. It clawed at her meridians bringing pain from inside out, it felt hot al over, as if she were standing on the scorching sun at the milddle of summer.

But it also gave strength, nothing like the gentle improve of the immortal way, it felt fast and unruly as such was the way of the Asura.

After the first lap, sensing the changes she took her improved jerky for a boost, time was tight and she was determined to make most of it.

When the aura sudenly gave a rotten feeling the half hour had passed and she stopped, her red aura now had streaks of orange, she would break through very soon.

Unknown to her, every action she took was being monitored by someone in secret.

Chapter end