Aiden has unlocked the Path of Void, a cultivation path that would let him use desire itself to strengthen himself. Genevieve made a temporary training ground of their cave, while veiling the surrounding with her own void ability.
"This is neat," Aiden said, staring at the void wall from the inside. "I can see right through this, but others can't see me."
"It has its perks," Genevieve said, still mad at him after the joke he made earlier that day.
Her hair was tied back, and she no longer wore the silver armor. Instead, she was wearing a white shirt and black leather pants, which seemed uncomfortable but Aiden didn't comment.
"Void is the hardest desire to cultivate," she said. "The first step to cultivate is to actually meditate and gather that desire from within yourself. You have to focus on your own desires and use them to manifest your abilities."
"Is that the fastest way?" Aiden asked. He had a system that would simply fill his desire meter every time he fulfilled a wish or released a twisted one.
"That's the most reliable way," she stressed. "Using shards would let outside desire pollute your mind. It's the fastest way to render yourself nothing but a monster."
"A friend of mine wants to use them. Should I stop him?"
"What's his profession?"
"A General Affairs Officer."
"Non-seekers usually opt for the quick and easy methods of getting stronger simply to facilitate their other goals," Genevieve explained. "Most people have no desire to seek the Stillpoint, only to achieve smaller dreams."
"Is the Stillpoint that great?" Aiden asked.
"It's the greatest mystery of the world," Genevieve said, with more enthusiasm than before. "People have speculated what lies there for thousands of years — but came up short."
"I learned that Aevur and the rest of his disciples tried to conquer it."
"That's what the records show," Genevieve said with a nod. "But none of them returned. I believe they are dead by now."
"Is that something a Guild Master should say?" Aiden asked with surprise. "You guys practically worship Aevur."
"If we did, we would have our own religion. I hate to admit this, but the Seekers Guild has been declining in influence over the last hundred years — because of the Gods."
"I did notice that people worshiped different deities linked to desires, not Aevur and his gang. Is there someone stronger than Aevur?"
"At the moment, we can never tell — but Aevur was always a hero, who rose because he believed he could. His desire stemmed from within him and it fueled an era of rising. As for the current Gods…"
"They rely on the belief of their followers," Aiden said what Genevieve hesitated to reveal. She gave him a firm nod. "That doesn't seem bad, but a little manipulative."
"Don't go around accusing gods of manipulation," Genevieve said. "You should have the strength to back it up first."
"I'm not an idiot," Aiden said with a shrug. "I know that the worst person to provoke is the frantic devotee."
"That's good. Enough chit-chat, and get down on the ground," she said as she circled around him. "I will guide your first meditation."
Aiden sat on the ground cross-legged as she circled around him. He could smell a faint flowery scent from her, despite knowing that she has been drenched in rainwater just a few hours ago.
"Each of the four desires inhabit a certain spot in the body — we call them cultivation points. The cultivation point for Rift lies in the belly, while Rise is in the chest."
"Like the sun in Aevur's chest."
"That was his Rise desire manifesting," she explained. "Don't interrupt."
"Yes ma'am."
"Bond is in the heart, which makes it the most dangerous to cultivate — hence how rare healers are. Void is in the mind, and the cultivation point is in the center of the forehead."
"Bonds kill you, while Void makes you crazy," Aiden said with a nod.
"Rise could incinerate your body, while Rift could tear it apart," she explained. "Just like what happened to your friend, Borin."
Aiden was silent, as he looked at the ground. Genevieve could sense the shift and stopped moving, looking at him with an expressionless face.
"You blame the Guild for his death?"
"I blame this world," Aiden said with a shrug. "I barely knew him, but he didn't deserve to die like that and away from his family."
"It's a cruel fate," she said. "But almost all Hungerborn used to be Seekers. Those who attempt to become seekers must accept the possibility of becoming a Hungerborn — and wish to be killed if they do turn into one."
"What happens if a Hungerborn is left alone without being killed?" Aiden asked.
"It evolves," she said. "That's not our topic for now."
"I just have one more question."
"Fine."
"Can a Hungerborn go back to being human?" Aiden asked.
Genevieve frowned as she thought about it and looked into the distance. Aiden could almost see the memories pooling in her eyes.
"They can't," she said. "Once a Hungerborn, forever a Hungerborn."
A silent moment passed between them. Aiden thought about how he turned into a Hungerborn, but that mysterious woman saved him. If no one could, how did she? And is he even human now?
"In order to cultivate the Void, you must embrace it," Genevieve broke the silence. "Close your eyes and envision everything that you hate and wish it was gone."
"That's rather easy," Aiden said as he closed his eyes.
At first, he envisioned the world itself — its facades and hypocrisies.
Memories rose about all the injustice he witnessed. Friends betraying each other. Family abandoning one another. Lovers cheating with another.
Aiden hated it all.
He opened his eyes.
"Did it work?" he asked the Guild Master.
"I felt nothing," she said while shaking her head. "Try again — but this time, make sure you are honest with yourself. What do you hate?"
Aiden closed his eyes again.
This time, he envisioned the routine of life. The slums, the scams, and his own reflection staring at him in the mirror. He envisioned strings attached to his body, entrapping him in an endless grind.