He had turned strangely silent after his mother told him about the h.e.l.lblaze Trials. His brows were always furrowed and his golden eyes glinted with a strange light. It was as if he was constantly fighting something inside him.

He started training nonstop, and even asked Lya to cut the time they gave his body a rest between rounds of tempering. He wanted to get as strong as possible for the h.e.l.lblaze Trials, and he would not mind the pain or the constant exhaustion.

He successfully stepped in the late stages of Body Tempering at the four-month mark, but Lya was surprised to see that his cells were not even close to being saturated yet. He could go on tempering his body for many years at the current rate of improvement.

Lya, however, did not tell him any of this. Amon's psychological state was somewhat delicate, and telling him about his body would possibly worsen things. She did not tell him that he had entered the late stages of Body Tempering, and they continued with his training routine.

The strength of his soul also increased greatly. His divine sense seemed to grow by the day, and turned much more stable and powerful than before. Amon felt that in a bit he would be able to sense beyond wall and objects. His control over Qi also grew together with his divine sense.

Nevertheless, he did not feel joy at all in his newfound strength. He had nothing but a sour taste in his mouth whenever he thought about the h.e.l.lblaze Trials. Whenever he thought about it, his father's voice would echo in his head.

"I need you to be brave, son."

That serene, indifferent voice.

That cold, ruthless expression.

Those cruel, dark eyes.

That hateful man.

Amon gritted his teeth with enough strength to make them creak. He felt anger bubbling inside his chest, like a simmering volcano ready to explode. However, he soon realized he was losing his temper.

He took a deep breath, calming himself, and recited the second part of the Soulrousing Technique. It was a habit he had been developing, almost like a ritual to help him keep his emotions in check. As he felt the familiar sensation of his body's temperature alternating between hot and cold, he felt his anger dissipate.

He let out a sigh, before jumping down from his bed, where he had been cultivating. He washed his face with the water in the basin beneath the mirror, he put on a clean set of black clothes and he carefully tied Windhowler to his back.

He silently left his room, leaving everything clean and organized. As soon as he crossed the door, however, he looked back. He did not know why he did it, nor did he think about it for more than a moment. Still, it was the first time he had done so ever since he started living in this house six years ago.

He looked at his simple bed, where he had cried for many sleepless nights. He had also undergone his first round of Body Tempering there.

He looked at the mirror hanging in a wall, which in the past he used as he carefully dyed his hair black almost every week. Now, it served for not much else besides tidying his ashen hair when he woke up in the mornings.

He looked at the black mat on the floor, which he had used for years on end as he fruitlessly tried to manipulate Qi. Now, he used it in his training of Qi control.

He looked at his open window, through which the sun shone. In the past, he enjoyed looking at the gra.s.s and the trees outside. Now, however, what he could see was mostly the destruction Lya had left when she first taught him about swords.

He suddenly realize what was wrong. He had left the window open. He made his way back to the room and slowly closed it. The warmth sunlight s.h.i.+ning on his face gave his way to a monotone gloom as the window finally closed.

Amon was going to leave for a long time; there was no reason to leave the window open.

Unknowingly, Amon turned somewhat sentimental. There was longing in his eyes as he left the room. He had no idea why he felt that way, but he could not get rid of the feeling.

He gently knocked on his mother's door, and carefully opened it as she invited him in.

Rebecca was looking through her window, as always, but this time there was a deep frown on her face. Her green eyes were full of concern and her complexion was pale. She also seemed to be gripping something tightly under her bedsheets, as Amon could see her hand slightly trembling under the sheets from all the strength Rebecca was putting in her grip.

She turned her look away from the window, glancing at Amon's golden eyes with tenderness. She gestured for him to approach, and she gave him a hug. They did not speak a word to each other, they just stood there, hugging each other as Rebecca gently started ruffling his hair.

Rebecca seemed very concerned as she held Amon in her arms. She was having a very bad feeling, just like when he left for the Scavenging. It was as if a dark cloud had started gathering above Amon, following him wherever he was, a terrible omen.

She looked at him not hiding the worry she had at all. She felt there was something tearing at her chest as she looked at, making her feel incredibly sad. She extended a hand and tenderly held his face, looking at him deeply.

"Amon…" She had trouble finding the words she wanted to say. It was as if something was clutching her throat, not let her speak or even breathe properly.

Amon looked at her with concern. Naturally, he had no idea of what was going in his mother's mind beside the potential trouble he would have in the h.e.l.lblaze Trials. Seeing Rebecca like this made him uneasy.

Rebecca took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, it was as if all the negative feeling weighing down on her had disappeared for a fleeting moment.

"No matter what, remember that I will always love you." She said as she ruffled his hair again, bringing him closer to her chest. "I want you to be happy. It is all I ever wanted."

Amon hugged her tighter. He felt his chest tightening and his feelings were in turmoil. He was suddenly very anxious. He could feel there was something wrong in his mother's words.

"Look at me." She said seriously, gently pus.h.i.+ng him away from his chest. She had a complex look on her face, a mix of unwillingness, tenderness and serenity. It was a gaze that pierced straight into Amon's heart, making him even more anxious. He opened his mouth to try to say something, but he found no words.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, you will always try to be happy." Rebecca spoke with a trembling voice, and her gaze turned even more intense. "Promise me that you will never give up on yourself, Amon."

She did not explain her request, nor did she elaborate on it. She felt she did not have to. She knew her son very well; she knew his flaws more than anyone else did.

Amon was growing up and he was dealing with his flaws. He also had experienced much more than a kid his age should ever have, but Rebecca knew things could always get worse.

She knew that a single push was all it took to make someone walking on the edge to fall from the cliff and be swallowed by the darkness below.

Amon looked at his mother with a serious expression. The way she was acting greatly alarmed him, but he knew better than to question her. The last time he saw his mother this serious was when his father had betrayed the sect.

He did his best to hide the fear that was starting to creep up in the depths of his mind as he faced his mother. His gaze was solemn as he spoke to her. "I promise."

There was no need to say anything else. Even if this seemed to be a simple promise, he knew it was not. Nevertheless, he still made it. He would follow through with it, for his mother's happiness.

It was not a half-hearted promise in any way. He now knew the weight a promise should have. He promise it as a Soul Cultivator, and he would do his best to accomplish it.

Rebecca's expression eased greatly as she heard his promise. She hugged him tightly one last time before they parted.

"I love you." Rebecca said with a gaze full of warmth.

"I love you too, mom." He said from the bottom of his heart. His voice was somewhat heavy, somewhat weary as he spoke.

"Take care." She said as she tried to put on a smile. Her green eyes seemed to glow, and the sunlight gave her golden hair a bright l.u.s.ter, but it also made her face seem even paler.

"I will." Amon said in a low voice.

As he was leaving, he heard steps coming from the other side of the door. He opened it only to see Daniel standing outside with a hurried look on his face.

"We will be late." He said in a light tone, to which Amon only nodded.

"I'm sorry aunt Becca, but we have to go now." Daniel said in an apologetic tone. There was a serious glint in his eyes as he looked at Rebecca, and they seemed to have a whole exchange in the split second their eyes met.

"You take care too." Rebecca said to Daniel in a gentle tone.

"Thank you." He gave her a deep, meaningful glance as he spoke.

"Hopefully, we will see each other soon." There was some hesitation in his voice as he spoke, as if he hadn't found the right way to express himself.

Nevertheless, Rebecca understood his meaning. He would do his best, but he was also very worried about the h.e.l.lblaze Trials.

"We will." Rebecca spoke with a serene and soft voice, almost as if she was whispering to herself.

Daniel gave her a light nod, before turning back and hurriedly leaving the house with Amon.

Rebecca was left alone in the house, looking at the sky through her window. It was of a beautiful azure color, and the sun shone brightly. However, Rebecca had no joy as she looked outside.

Nevertheless, a small, weary smile made its way into her lips. For a moment, her worries were gone as she remembered the look in Amon's eyes as he made her the promise.

"He didn't lie." She seemed incredibly tired, but she couldn't hide the happiness in her voice as she spoke.