Sandborn - Awakening of the Frozen Sand

[It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.] — Sir Edmund Hillary

As the first rays of the sun pierced through the mantle of darkness, the warmth of the day slowly began to conquer the night's chill. Soon, the sands would grow so hot they would scorch the feet of those who walked upon them.

Araumir departed from the Mirha tribe at this time, his thoughts fixed on the mission his master had entrusted to him: to prepare a place for the Sarabi tribe to settle and, more importantly, to find at least one truth crystal large enough for Azar to create the Heart-Revealing Crystal.

Note: Truth Crystals

Description: Truth Crystals are typically the size of a fist, with a bluish-green hue. They have the unique ability to distinguish between truth and lies, which is their primary use. These crystals can only be used once for this purpose before they lose their power and become ordinary crystals. Afterward, they are often repurposed into expensive jewelry, bombs, or other devices that require specific types of flux conductivity.

Use: To use a Truth Crystal, one holds the crystal in their hand and answers a question. The crystal glows bright blue if the answer is true and bright green if the answer is a lie. How the crystal measures the truthfulness of an answer remains a mystery, but no cases of fraud have been recorded to date.

Note: Heart-Revealing Crystal

Description: The Heart-Revealing Crystal is created from a larger-than-average Truth Crystal. It is infused with flux from a specific plant and the core crystal of a chameleon beast. This powerful crystal can read a person's intentions, gauge their moral compass, and predict their potential for straying from the righteous path, falling into the corruption that taints the soul and cripples the meridians.

Use: Since its inception, the Heart-Revealing Crystal has been used to gauge the true intentions of individuals before marriage, protecting noble families and pure bloodlines from forming unions with those who may harbor ill intentions. In more recent times, the Heart-Revealing Crystal has also been employed to assess the loyalty of followers, serving as a safeguard against betrayal and preserving the strength and unity of clans, sects, and flux-weavers.

"Azar Syed, you asked for me?" Tariq, Mohul's father and the former chief of the Mirha tribe, asked as he entered the room where Azar resided.

"Yes," Azar replied, motioning for Tariq to sit comfortably before speaking. "The time has come for me to begin my practice again. This means I will gradually return to the lifestyle and routines I followed in my previous lives. Some of my practices and training methods will be open for you to witness, learn, and experience, but others are secrets I cannot share."

Tariq nodded, understanding Azar's meaning. Among practitioners, keeping one's techniques hidden was almost always a rule, as today's ally could become tomorrow's adversary.

"I will arrange a safe location for you to practice in peace and solitude, away from prying eyes," Tariq said.

"Do you know of a cave nearby?" Azar asked.

"A cave, syed?" Tariq responded, surprised. "The desert not patrolled by our men is dangerous for lone flux-weavers, so we don't use caves for solitary practice. Instead, we partition the camp and restrict access to certain areas."

"You restrict access?" Azar mused, considering a solution. "Setting up two types of barriers around the area could also work," he said after a moment. "Very well, then. Prepare a tent for me on the camp's periphery, where there is no wall. Place it as close to the rocks as possible and clear a large enough space to accommodate a hundred men around it."

"A hundred men?" Tariq's eyes widened. "Syed, are you planning to train our warriors?"

"Indeed, I am. I have no use for weaklings, but I need capable people more than water," Azar stated, not realizing he had just insulted the fearless warriors of the Mirha. " I will train you in 'The old ways of the sand'. Select a hundred men from your tribe. They don't need to be the strongest, but they must be the most trustworthy. I can turn a mediocre person who's willing to work hard into a formidable force, but it's much harder to turn a person of bad character into a good man."

"Syed, thank you, syed," Tariq said, nearly in tears. "I will do as you ask. I will have one hundred men ready for you to train by nightfall. But may my family and I be among them?"

Tariq's emotions were visible, a trait someone of his status should better control. However, his reaction was understandable. If Azar were to personally train his people, how much stronger would they become? What heights could the Mirha tribe reach? And what position among the other tribes?

"Of course, Tariq. Everyone you choose is welcome to participate in my training, men and women alike. But choose carefully, considering both talent and character. Those I train will become the pillars of this tribe in the future, so be objective in your selection," Azar advised.

"Yes, yes, Azar Syed. I will choose based on merit, skill, character, and will, always with the tribe's future in mind," Tariq replied.

"Good, then. Start the selection process. We will begin training tomorrow morning," Azar said. "Don't forget to prepare a tent for me. I want to move today. Also, send Jarah to me. If the Mirha tribe has the necessary ingredients, I can create cleansing potions for the young ones to enhance their cultivation potential."

"Syed, you are a blessing to my tribe," Tariq said gratefully. "I will send Jarah immediately." He stood up, almost ready to run out of the room despite his age.

"Wait!" Azar called out before Tariq could leave. "Send him later today; for now, I wish to meditate and choose the right path for myself."

Tariq turned back, a smile curving his lips upward. "Yes, syed."

Azar thought to himself, I've said it many times before: the body grows old, but the soul remains youthful. That is why we are treated like children by the universe, for that is what we truly are.

Remaining alone in his chamber, Azar adjusted his posture for meditation. He took a deep breath, expanding his abdomen, holding it until it became uncomfortable. He repeated this process three times to relax his body and prepare his mind for meditation. Following that, he employed a breathing technique: inhale, hold, exhale, hold. This was Azar's method of entering an altered state of mind called alpha—the "cube method," as his master had taught him long ago.

In three reincarnations on this planet, I have experimented with different paths and elements, seeking to understand my truth. I devoted myself to the frost element in my last life, having discovered a Frost Origin Core during my travels, and chose the path of sovereignty as my guiding principle. For two lives, I stood among the strongest beings on this planet, yet in my third, as I chose to depart early, I did not reach the pinnacle.

Now, as I begin again in the infancy stage of cultivation, I have the opportunity to choose anew. But should i change it? The Frost Element is not suitable for potionry, and since i don't possess a Frost Origin Core any longer, maybe i should make the change. See with what elements do i resonate with now.

Note: Origin Cores

Description: The Origin Core of an element is a divine gift from the Void System, bringing either joy or chaos depending on the user and the place where it appears. Born from the flux of nature over hundreds or even thousands of years, the Origin Core harbors the essence of an element in a variety of forms, shapes, attributes, and powers. It represents the purest form of an element, reigning supreme over other elemental energies. Remarkably, it can even achieve its own consciousness and will.

All four main elements—pyro, aqua, terra, and aero—as well as derived elements like cryo, electro, ferrum, toxo, sono, anima, abyss, chrono, etc. can be found in the highly concentrated form of an Origin Core. Even the primordial elements, Lumen and Umbra, can exist as Origin Cores.

When a cultivator assimilates an Origin Core, the element within them inherits the core's unique attributes and characteristics, regardless of its natural ranking.

Use: One of the most common Origin Cores is of the aqua element. For example, the "Five Waving Serpents" is an Aqua Origin Core ranked ninth in the world's Aqua Origin Core rankings. Like any other Origin Cores, when the Five Waving Serpents is absorbed and integrated into a cultivator's body, the aqua element within them undergoes a transformation in color, potency, strength, and any other aspect that the Five Waving Serpents can influence. Furthermore, when this transformed element interacts with a weaker aqua element, it will dominate, compelling the weaker element to yield to its superior power.

For less experienced cultivators, absorbing an Origin Core Element can also influence their personality. There have been recorded instances where an Origin Core has possessed a flux-weaver, consuming their knowledge and consciousness until the Origin Core effectively becomes the new host of the body.

I can choose my path again, Azar repeated. But what should I choose?

What elements could I focus on, and which path should I devote myself to? Do I possess the freedom and strength required to change my path once more, or are the ways of my old life too deeply ingrained to allow me to adopt a new way of living?

At the moment, Azar controlled only the pyro and cryo elements. Yet he knew that by understanding the laws and principles of other elements and connecting with them, he could eventually reach a stage where he could control them. There was another method, a simpler one. This method required him to dive deep into his being and bring to the surface what was hidden inside, to resonate with the elements.

After all, all humans were created from more than one element, so, in theory, they should be able to follow the delicate threads to all the elements involved in their creation—if only they knew how to do it and had the training and intuition to perceive those threads that connect all of creation.

What are the elements that resonate with the current me the most? Azar asked himself, emptying his mind and allowing the answer to flow unrestrained into his consciousness.

Nothing happened for a time. Yet Azar remained composed, waiting in silence until a strange sensation arose in his chest, unfamiliar even to him. It was something he could not identify, so he asked himself what the feeling represented. Aqua?

No, it wasn't aqua. At least, that was Azar's understanding when the sensation in his chest tightened. The sensation then moved to his arms and hands, which grew cold. An image of Azar himself appeared in his mind: everything at his feet was frozen. It was a memory fragment from the time when he had lost control over the Cryo Element in his body, freezing nearly half the desert in a fit of anger.

Cryo? Azar asked in his mind. Despite the coldness spreading through his arms and hands and the image in his mind, he felt a repulsion toward the thought echoing within him.

If it's not the Cryo Element, then why am I experiencing it? Azar wondered. Is it because my body has become too accustomed to it and is misinterpreting the message?

I should exit my body and see things from an objective perspective, Azar decided, guiding his awareness outside his body into a third-person perspective.

As soon as he exited the confines of his body, a chaotic sensation enveloped him, making him feel like he was at the center of a storm. Chaotic energy flowed around him, following an ever-changing course. Yet amid the chaos, Azar felt a sense of serenity emanating from his chest.

Chaos? he asked in his mind. No, it's not just chaos, but peace? Chaos and peace... forming balance. The outer layer of a storm is the chaos while at its center exists peace. Equilibrium?