Awakening the Divine Spark

"Senior Sister He Zhenzhu?!" Xiao Lian recognized her voice.

"Don’t touch them!" She repeated again from the distance, and few breaths later finally arrived.

She was out of breath, but few moments later was back to normal. Xiao Lian could only stare in amazement at the skills of the elemental master.

He Zhenzhy didn’t pay attention to him, though. She squatted next to Lee and Edward, and carefully inspected them.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Last night me and Lee found the guy wounded." Xiao Lian went with the short version, "It looked like he was about to die, so Lee fed him few Purple spirit roots and tried to transfer elemental energy to somehow stimulate self-recovery or something."

"Why didn’t you use the signal flares?" He Zhenzhu asked. If it wasn’t for the peculiar lighting she would’ve never rushed over.

"We did ... and there was a storm earlier ..." Xiao Lian clumsily explained. In their team Lee was the one who was good with words and he kind of always went along with what his friend said.

"They’re still alive!" She said, and hearing her words Xiao Lian’s heart skipped a couple of beats.

"Are they alright?" He asked.

"Do they look alright?" She snorted in return.

It was the first time Xiao Lian seeing this angry version her, but he couldn’t care less. If Lee was alive and Senior Sister He Zhenzhu was here, everything had to be fine.

***

Lee didn’t know much, but he was certain all he wanted now was some bacon. The nicely roasted pig in front of him made him salivate, but no matter how far he stretched his hand, he couldn’t touch it.

But it smelled so tasty! And he hadn’t had a meal in ages! He was fed up with these damned dreadtalon eggs ... right dreadtalons ... he and Xiao Lian had killed hundreds of them ...

’Wait!’ Lee inwardly shouted, realizing the roasted pig was slowly blurring away.

He still wanted to eat it, but the smell ... no ... it wasn’t the smell of a roast – it was ... his hand that smelled like a burned piece of meat!

And then the pig vanished and instead of it Lee saw curious eyes of a young woman. She was saying something to him, or asking. But he didn’t care about some random chick. If anyone, he wanted to see Lisa ... but he only saw her after he died ...

’Wait!’ Lee realized, ’I’m not dead!’

"At least not yet!" The woman grinned in return.

Apparently he voiced his thoughts – good thing he didn’t say the thing about the random chick ... and this wasn’t a random chick! This was Senior Sister He Zhenzhu! And he was with Xiao Lian on the Serrakar Plateau, in Thiraxis world! And Edward!

One after another memories flowed back to Lee’s consciousness and he remembered how he desperately tried to keep Edward alive, despite the chaotic energies suddenly raging through the guys body. Even when the horrifying pain struck, it was nothing like the torment he experienced after Arax fed him the earth spark.

While going all out, Lee wasn’t sure if he was damaging his own life force, but even if he did, he decided that this one occasion was an exception. He would never repeat the stupid thing again, but since it was kind of his fault Edward’s situation worsened, he felt obligated to do all he could to save the guy’s life.

He felt that Edward was in pain too, but at some point it seemed that the guy lost consciousness and couldn’t control anything that went on within his body. He was passing out from time to time the whole day long, thus Lee didn’t pay attention to him, but focused on the chaotic energies within him.

It was almost like a volcano erupted inside Edward, and Lee, to the best of his abilities, tried to transfer the energies into the rock they sat on, but at the same time letting his own water particles heal the guy up. It was a tedious and agonizing process, but now, even if Edward had died, Lee didn’t have any regrets.

"Ouch!" Lee tried to support himself while sitting up, but no matter how he moved, there was no spot on his body that didn’t hurt.

It wasn’t the mind numbing and piercing pain he hated. It was the itchy unpleasant pain that one feels when they get burn.

"Don’t push yourself!" Hu Zhenzhu said, "Xiao Lian ran off to get some dreadtalon eggs. We used up all your provisions."

"How long was I out?" Lee asked, trying to process the implications.

"Only a day." Hu Zhenzhu said.

Then after a short pause, she added, "I was certain you will die. Luckily you have miraculous regenerative abilities ... you’re the first person I know who had survived while disrupting someone else’s Heavenly Tribulation." freēnovelkiss.com

"Tribu what?" Lee asked, throwing a glance around.

They were still on the same spot where they camped before the rain hit them. But apart from Hu Zhenshu there was only one more person.

The guy looked like a boiled lobster, red-faced, with no hair or eyebrows. In fact, everything about him signaled he had been thrown in a pot of hot oil.

"You look hideous." Lee said to Edward, who grinned in return, but it was obvious that even the slightest movement of facial muscles was painful to him.

"Look in the mirror!" Edward said, ignoring the pain. But then his expression turned serious, and he said, "Thank you!"

Afterwards he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Lee couldn’t blame him. If he looked as bad, he wouldn’t hesitate and also try to recover as soon as possible.

"Tribulation." Hu Zhenzhu repeated, "When elemental master fuses consciousness with their elemental spark, the process goes against the Heavenly Laws and causes Heavenly Tribulation. If they successfully pass it, they become an elemental lord."

Her expression was complicated, and there was even some longing in her eyes.

She said, "I’ve never seen it myself, but recognized from descriptions. Imagine my surprise, when after I arrived, I only found two charred bodies and no elemental lords around here. And then there was a mourning guy who was ready to bury his best buddy."

"Sorry to disappoint you!" Lee replied in similar manner, "Next time we’ll do better!"

"Sigh ... I’m afraid there won’t be the next time." He Zhenzhu said, "Edward’s advancement to become an elemental master is so unique ... I don’t even have words to describe it ..."

"Edward’s what?" Lee would’ve jumped to his feet in shock if he wasn’t all worn out and in pain.

"You heard me." She said, "Edward became elemental master. And he has a very peculiar mutation. I’m not sure if it’s because of the Heavenly lightning that struck him, but his fire spark has mutated into a lightning spark ... I’ve never seen anything like that."

Lee glanced at the lobster-like guy sitting further away, and grinned, "Some guys have all the luck!"

"Maybe." He Zhenzhu misinterpreted him, "It’s possible that because of these peculiarities he ignited the spark so late. But if not for you, he would’ve died for sure. I don’t know what role exactly you played, but the destructive lightning energy should’ve had exploded his body from within."

’So that’s what it was!’ Lee guessed what he had done purely based on intuition.

And he also guessed that his two sparks were the ones that kept him alive. The earth prevented his and Edward’s bodies from falling apart while water healed up most of the damage.

It kind of was wonder of the nature, but Lee couldn’t figure out whether he should be proud of himself or envious of the one he saved. The guy sat with his eyes closed and occasional bolts of lighting jumped around his body, indicating he was currently familiarizing himself with his new powers.

It was kind of cool Lee had the chance to assist in the birth of an incredible superhuman, but unfortunately he still had to wait for another lifetime until he could ignite his own spark.

Senior Sister He Zhenzhu didn’t know his struggles, though. She said, "Lee. There are few things I need you to know!"