Zarek lay in his fur bed, his face still burning with shame. But beneath that childish blush, his determination was cold as steel. His mother, the guards, the entire clan... they all saw him as a defective pup whose only mission was to eat and sleep until he stopped being an embarrassment.
Cenit had just given him the tool to take his real first steps in this world.
They'll call it eating, Zarek thought, clenching his fists tight under the blankets. I'll call it cultivation.
He closed his eyes and focused on the darkness of his mind.
—Cenit, do it.
[Lineage Harmonization Technique, Level 1. Initiating.]
Following the complex mental map Cenit projected into his brain, Zarek took conscious control of his two energies for the first time. He no longer let them crash brutally like two derailed trains. Instead, he used the flame produced by his Human lineage (that quiet, persistent blue flame) to carefully surround the Demonic Energy (the dense silver light he had obtained from the breast milk) resting, heavy and rich, in his stomach.
At first, it was a control nightmare. It was like trying to braid a furious lion's mane with silk threads. The demonic energy was wild, instinctive, and unwilling to cooperate. It twisted, looking for a way to explode.
But then, the technique clicked. The blue energy didn't try to crush the silver; it began to dissolve it. As if dropping an effervescent tablet into a glass of water, the dense Garou energy broke down into its pure components, and the Human energy mixed with it, filling the gaps.
The result was a new current. Warm. Neutral. A "Pure Ethereal Energy" that his body accepted without complaint.
Suddenly, an incredible feeling of comfort spread from his belly to his entire body. That constant background pain he had lived with for six years, that electric sensation of his bones itching from the inside due to the conflict, simply vanished.
Zarek almost sobbed with relief. It was as if he had been wearing shoes three sizes too small his entire life and had finally taken them off.
—Cenit... —he whispered in the darkness, his voice trembling. —I feel it. It works. But... but this process demands too much concentration. It's like walking a tightrope. Maybe I need to activate the cognitive acceleration mode to keep the rhythm.
[Warning: Activating sustained Cognitive Acceleration at high levels will increase physical load and fry your neurons.]
—I don't need it at 100% —Zarek replied. —My body handled factor x20 for a while. What is the safe limit to keep it on always? Like a passive skill in a video game.
There was a short pause, the mental hum of Cenit running simulations.
[Analysis: The Host can indefinitely maintain a Cognitive Acceleration factor of x2. The physical load is negligible.]
—Activate it now.
[Cognitive Acceleration x2 activated.]
The world didn't go super slow-motion, but he felt the shift. The mental static cleared up. Now he could clearly feel the threads of energy. The lineages in his body, which used to be like boiling oil and water, now felt like two currents beginning to adapt to one another, flowing in parallel.
—Cenit? Is this real? —Zarek asked, noticing his reserve growing. —I feel like my lineages have calmed down in just ten minutes.
[Correction: The "Harmonization Technique" ensures that over 95% of the breast milk energy is absorbed and utilized. Previously, your body did it by pure biological instinct, and you wasted 70% just in the confrontation and mutual nullification between your lineages.]
Perfect! He couldn't wait to end his lineage problem once and for all.
A fierce smile, one that looked nothing like the innocent smile of a six-year-old, drew across his face. I won't be the palace mascot anymore. Mother told me to eat and sleep like a good pup. So I would. But I'd do it my way.
Zarek sat in a meditation position on the bed. His long silver tail instinctively curled around his waist for balance, and he immersed himself completely in cultivation.
For anyone else, moving energy in mental circles would be incredibly boring. But for Zarek, who came from Earth and knew the value of grinding, it was fascinating. Lap after lap, he felt his lineages harmonizing and his meridians, once fragile, becoming stronger and more elastic. He didn't get tired. What was boredom compared to stopping being a useless ticking time bomb?
Several hours passed in silence. Suddenly, the quiet of the room was broken by a terrible sound.
GRUUUUUUUU!
It wasn't a monster's roar. It was his stomach. A ravenous hunger hit him like a physical punch to the gut, so strong it knocked the wind out of him. Zarek snapped out of his trance, doubling over in pain.
—What the hell...? —he gasped, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. —Did... did I already run out of... what I drank?
[Refinement complete. The breast milk has been processed at 100%. Immediate replenishment recommended.]
Zarek slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning. —Cenit, can you stop saying "breast milk"? Just hearing you say that with that robotic voice makes me cringe all over again.
[I do not understand the Host's logic, but immediate replenishment is recommended of... "what the Host won't let me call by its name".]
—Replenishment? —Zarek looked at the window. The moonlight had barely changed. —How long have I been cultivating?
[You have been in a cultivation trance for three hours.]
Three hours? Zarek was stunned. It had taken him only three hours to digest and burn what was supposed to keep him full and asleep for eight. If he kept up this pace, he'd have to eat eight times a day just to keep up with his consumption!
—Cenit, this is ridiculous. Can I eat something else? Bring me Spirit Beast meat, a steak, anything. I need calories, not humiliation.
[Warning: The energy in beast meat is "turbid" and chaotic. Consuming it will contaminate the fusion process and slow down the harmonization of your lineages. You will get physically strong, but your energy base will stagnate.] [Recommendation: For a perfect foundation, consume only pure fuel until your lineages stabilize.]
Zarek suddenly understood. That's why! That's why noble Garou breastfeed their children for so long! It's not for pampering, it's logic. Beast meat is junk food when it comes to laying the foundation for future breakthroughs.
GRUUUUUUUU!
The hunger was unbearable. He felt his body beginning to eat itself to fuel the process. Zarek jumped out of bed, dizzy. He pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped out into the icy hallway.
Outside, in the courtyard, Sovereign Nyxia was still sitting on her stone bench, gazing at the frozen pond under the moonlight. She turned at the sound of the door, her golden eyes showing genuine confusion.
—Zarek? —she asked, frowning. —You're awake already? You need to sleep to digest the nutrients, darling. If you don't sleep, you won't grow.
Zarek walked over, a bit clumsy. He was pale with hunger, but his eyes shone with an intensity not normal for a sleepy child. He was about to invent an excuse, but his stomach roared like a caged lion, echoing in the silent courtyard.
Nyxia fell silent for a moment, processing the sound. Hungry? So soon? He ate enough to knock out a grown man! A slow, proud smile appeared on her face. She leaned down and lifted Zarek off the ground as if he were a feather.
—My little glutton, hungry again? —She laughed, and the sound rumbled in Zarek's chest. —It seems my son will become a strong man after all! You're going to grow huge!
As she carried him toward the inner palace, Zarek endured her ruffling his hair with resignation. I'll grow fast, he promised himself, gritting his teeth. And this shameful stage will be just a bad memory.
This time, when Zarek ate, it wasn't just to sate his instinctive hunger. It was with the deliberate purpose of obtaining enough energy for the next cycle. The moment he finished, Nyxia settled him on her lap, expecting him to stay full and asleep this time.
But Zarek closed his eyes and, instantly, activated the technique.
Nyxia, holding him, gave a visible start. At that distance, pressed against her, she could feel it. It wasn't the slow, passive digestion of a demon baby. She could feel how the energy she had just given him, and even the residual energy that hadn't left her body yet, was being sucked into her son, flowing at a scary speed. It was like holding a tiny black hole on her lap.
Sovereign Nyxia's brows knitted together. Her eyes glowed with a faint light, analyzing her son. No wonder he was hungry... He's not just digesting, he's devouring. He is absorbing energy at an absurd rate. This talent... is even more aggressive than Kaelen's.
She felt a strange mix of maternal pride and actual physical annoyance. At this rate, this little monster is going to drain me dry.
She let Zarek continue his trance on her lap and raised a hand with authority. Captain Grak appeared from the shadows in an instant, kneeling silently.
—Sovereign.
—Prepare the hunting squad —Nyxia ordered with a cold voice. —I want the cores of the Frost Beasts from the Inverted Canyon. And bring the clan's alchemist. Now.
Grak blinked, confused. —For Young Master Zarek, my Lady? But turbid meat isn't suitable for...
Nyxia let out an impatient snort. —No, idiot. They are for me. If the pup is going to drink with that force, I need the milk to be of the highest quality, or he'll consume me too.
She looked down at Zarek, who was already cultivating even in his sleep, oblivious to everything. Perhaps, Nyxia thought, stroking the black streak in her son's hair, maybe the union of our blood didn't make him weak. Maybe it just made him... distinct. How interesting.