Dominique's mouth widened as she tried to mute her screams. "...I-I… CAN'T!" She somehow managed to get out. Her back arched like a taut bowstring, and she flailed around on the ground. The pain was becoming more and more unbearable. She could feel herself slowly slipping away.
Soon, the herbs Mira had wouldn't do any good.
'...I should've pushed her more during training.' Mira thought, silently biting her lip. It was starting to feel like, lately, she couldn't do anything right. She accidentally 'killed' Maria and couldn't even face her. Some bastards from the Central Continent were stalking her. Now, Dominique was dying right before her eyes.
'No.' Mira shook her head as her gaze hardened. 'Even if I have to turn you into my slave, I won't let you fall here!'
"Child." She said firmly before getting on one knee and patting Dominique's head. "I know it hurts, but I won't let you die. Just trust me and finish what you started."
The girl was so shocked by Mira's gentle touch and voice that she forgot to scream for a moment. For years, she'd only heard her cold, demanding tone, but now, she was starting to sound like a proper… mother.
Dominique's world narrowed to the sharp, excruciating pain that seemed to consume her very being. Mira's unexpected gentleness momentarily cut through the haze of agony. The warmth of her hand on Dominique's head felt like a beacon in the engulfing darkness of pain.
"You can do this, Dominique. I believe in you," Mira's voice, now laced with an unusual softness, reached her. Dominique's tears mixed with blood, her body wracked with spasms of pain, yet Mira's presence offered a sliver of solace.
With a shaky breath that rattled through her pained form, Dominique tried to focus beyond the pain, on Mira's instructions. Her mentor, her mother in all but blood, believed in her. She couldn't, wouldn't let her down. Not here!
Dominique's mind reached out to the swirling mass of Blood Qi and her own blood. The concept seemed impossible, to merge these with the essence of her soul, to intertwine them so completely that they became inseparable.
What would happen once they merged? Where would they go? How was this even useful? Did she have meridians that went to her soul like Mira? What would happen after?
So many unanswered questions. So many uncertainties.
Could she do this? What if she died? What would happen to mother?
…For the sake of the world, she ought to do her best to survive, right?
Without her knowing it, her mind was hesitating, asking all these 'useless' questions. Luckily, someone was there to prevent her from getting distracted.
"Focus on the essence, Dominique. Your blood, your Qi, your soul, they are all facets of the same origin. Merge them," Mira instructed, her voice a constant guide amidst the turmoil.
Each word from Mira acted like a beacon, guiding Dominique's efforts. She visualized her blood, the very life force that ran through her veins, and her Blood Qi, a manifestation of her power, will, and affinity. Then, there was her soul, the most intangible yet the essence of her very existence.
"Think of it as weaving, Dominique," Mira continued. "Each thread—your blood, your Qi, your soul—must be intertwined so closely that they become indistinguishable from one another."
Dominique latched onto the analogy, envisioning her blood, Qi, and soul as strands of vibrant colors, each unique but essential to the tapestry she was weaving.
The first step was to align them, to get them to resonate at the same frequency. The blood and Qi were the easiest; they were of the world, tangible and responsive to her will. The soul, however, was elusive, like a whisper in the wind that she could feel but not grasp.
The pain intensified as she forced the blood and Qi to slow to match the ethereal vibration of her soul.
Sweat and blood beaded on her forehead, and her breath came in ragged gasps, but slowly, a harmony began to emerge. The blood and Qi, once so distinct, began to blur at the edges, their colors melding into a single, pulsating glow.
"That's it, Dominique! Now, the hard part. You need to bring your soul into this harmony," Mira instructed.
Dominique's heart hammered in her chest as she reached deeper within herself than she ever had.
The soul was not like blood or Qi; it did not bend to will or desire–At least, not at her strength. It was the essence of self, immutable and transcendent.
To merge it with her blood and Qi required more than force; it required understanding, acceptance, and a willingness to transform.
The first touch was agony. Dominique's soul recoiled, a bright flare of pain that threatened to overwhelm her senses. She could hear Mira's distant, muffled voice urging her on, but the pain was like an impenetrable wall.
"Don't fight it, Dominique. Embrace it. Let the pain guide you," Mira's voice somehow reached through the fog of agony.
Embrace it? How could anyone embrace such pain? But Dominique realized that resistance was futile. The more she fought, the more intense the pain became. So, she let go, allowing the pain to wash over her, to fill her until there was nothing else.
And then, something shifted.
The pain didn't diminish, but within it, Dominique found a thread of something else—connection. Her soul, so long a separate entity, began to weave itself into the tapestry of her blood and Qi. It was a sensation beyond words, a fusion of essence that was both excruciating and exhilarating.
The colors of blood, Qi, and soul intertwined, creating a new hue, one that had never existed before. It was the color of Dominique's essence, unique and brilliant.
"I can feel it!" Dominique gasped. "It's... it's merging."
"Yes, yes! Keep going, Dominique. You're almost there," Mira encouraged but kept her voice soft yet firm.
The final steps were the most difficult. With the foundation laid, Dominique needed to solidify the merger to make it permanent. It required her to pour every ounce of her will into the process, to command the newly formed essence to become her new reality.
The process was beyond agonizing. Every attempt to merge these elements felt like it tore her apart from the inside, yet she persisted. Dominique's screams subsided into whimpers, her body convulsing on the ground as she fought through the pain.
"It's working, Dominique. I can see it. Don't stop now!" Mira's voice was urgent. She could feel a hand on her chest, doing some sort of compressions as if to help her heart pump more blood, but part of her felt it must've been her imagination.
With an almost inhuman effort, Dominique pushed through the barrier of pain. She imagined her blood, Blood Qi, and soul coming together, intertwining in a singular entity. Slowly, a new form of energy began to emerge, one that pulsed with the very essence of her being. This energy was different; it was more potent and vibrant, a perfect amalgamation of her blood, Qi, and soul.
Dominique could feel the change within her, a transformation that was both terrifying and exhilarating. The new energy coursed through her veins, replacing the old, separate streams of blood and Qi. It felt like her entire being was being reborn, every cell infused with this newfound power.
Mira watched intently, her expression a mix of pride and concern. She knew the dangers involved in this process, the fine line between breakthrough and breakdown.
Yet, she also knew that this was Dominique's moment, a pivotal point in her journey.
Then, with a focused look, she took out two items from her Storage Space. One was a pink lotus-like flower that exuded the aura of a Divine-Grade item. The other, however, was something much more rare.
To the untrained eye, there was nothing. But for those a bit stronger, they'd see a set of many little clear tube-like things. She guided the tubes, which Mira knew were Origin-Grade meridians she had bought from the Shop, and shoved them into her body.
Using her Soul Sense and Qi, she connected these meridians to Dominique's core and soul. Many cultivators already had meridians that connected to their souls. Some didn't, which severely limited their talent, but Mira wasn't satisfied with that.
She wanted Dominique's talent to be as high as possible. So, she attached more.
The process went smoothly, as they naturally became a part of the girl. However, she would have to spend some time to unlock them later on, but right now, the one connected to the hole in her soul was enough.
Once they were transplanted, she shoved the herb, the Soul-
Soothing Lotus, into her mouth and used the energy to heal the cracks and damage Dominique had caused.
As Dominique continued to merge the energies, her body's convulsions began to subside. The pain, while still present, became something she could endure. She was no longer just surviving the process; she was mastering it.
The room around them seemed to pulse with energy, the air vibrating with the power of Dominique's transformation. Mira could feel the shift, a fundamental change in the very fabric of Dominique's being.
"Keep going, Dominique. You're almost there," Mira encouraged, her voice steady and sure.
Dominique pushed through the final barriers. With one last Herculean effort, she completed the merger, her blood, Blood Qi, and soul energy fully integrated into a single, harmonious stream that started to permeate throughout the rest of her body.
The moment the transformation was completed, Dominique collapsed, utterly exhausted but alive in a way she had never been before. The pain was gone, replaced by a profound sense of power and clarity. She lay there, breathing heavily, a faint smile playing on her lips despite the ordeal.
Mira rushed to her side, a rare smile of genuine pride gracing her features. "You did it, my child. You've done something few could even dream of."
Dominique's eyes fluttered open, meeting Mira's. There was a new depth to her gaze, a reflection of the journey she had just endured and the power she had unlocked within herself.
"I…I did it?" Dominique's voice was weak but filled with wonder.
"Yes, you did. And you're going to be stronger for it. Much stronger," Mira affirmed. That was all the confirmation she needed before Dominique passed out.
