Damon sat cross-legged near the fire, the flames crackling and spitting sparks into the chilly night air. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. He inhaled slowly, absorbing the icy Qi that now resided within him. The sensation was not pleasant. Each breath seemed to bring ice into his lungs, each heartbeat spread that biting cold through his veins.

His technique, Crimson Night Devourer, had always been visceral, almost brutal in its execution. It involved drawing in energy, devouring it, absorbing it like a nocturnal predator. With ordinary mana, it worked well. With simple elemental Qi, he had even succeeded a few times. But with this icy energy, things were different.

The Qi wouldn't let itself be devoured. It bit back.

Sweat ran down his face, even in the cold of the forest. Hot sweat, contrasting with the wave of ice spreading within. His muscles trembled, the veins in his neck bulged. Damon gritted his teeth, trying to control the flow.

"Shit... it's not working."

With each attempt to guide the energy through the familiar pattern of routes his technique knew, it froze, rebellious. Like water freezing inside a narrow pipe. Some of the energy obeyed, but others pooled in critical spots, blocking circulation and threatening to cause an internal rupture.

He coughed, and a trickle of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Ester, watching silently a few feet away, narrowed her eyes. It wasn't surprising—she'd expected him to struggle. But the scene before him still caused an uncomfortable pang. The idiot was stubborn, and if he kept pushing like this, he'd end up more dead than alive.

He tried again, clenching his fists, taking a deep breath. The Crimson Night Devourer technique roared within him like a hungry beast, but each thrust against the icy Qi was met with a shock of cold, like knives piercing his body. The heat of his blood and the chill of the energy collided in painful explosions.

Damon gasped, his eyes flying open, glowing a faint red before fading. His body slumped forward, his hands braced on the snow-covered ground, his breathing ragged.

"Damn…" He spat fresh blood, staining the snow beside him. "This damn thing won't bend."

Ester took a deep breath, controlling the urge to curse his stupidity. Silently, she walked toward him. Her steps were firm, deliberate. When she stopped behind him, Damon lifted his face to look at her. Sweat was dripping down his face, his skin pale, but his eyes… still shone with that stubborn defiance.

"Have you realized you can't do it alone?" Her voice was sharp but calm.

Damon laughed, even though he was bleeding. "No need to rub it in my face, Ice Princess."

Ester ignored the comment. Without asking permission, she knelt behind him. Her hands, covered in dark gloves, rested gently on his back, just above his shoulders. The faint heat of the fire didn't reach there, but her touch felt even colder than the night wind.

Damon shivered. "You... what are you doing?"

"Silence." Her voice was firm, authoritative. "I'm going to inject my energy into you. Don't fight it. Just memorize the path it takes."

Before he could respond, she closed her eyes. The icy Qi within her began to stir, a calm, controlled flow, shaped by years of practice. Ester guided this flow to the palm of her hand and, with a simple movement of will, forced the energy through her skin and into his body.

Damon felt it immediately. It was like diving into a frozen lake. The shock made his entire body stiffen, his teeth chattered, and an involuntary groan escaped his lips.

"Damn... this... is different..."

"Concentrate," Ester murmured, without opening her eyes. "Don't resist. Memorize the flow."

Her Qi entered like a steady, directed river, invading the energy pathways of Damon's body. Where before the wild, icy Qi had struggled aggressively, hers glided, creating space, clearing a path. It was as if her energy was teaching his how to move, forcing his veins to accept the cold in coexistence with his natural, warm mana.

Damon closed his eyes, trying to follow her command. He took a deep breath, following the sensation. Each path her energy took illuminated in his mind: the flow rose up his left arm, down his spine, around the main meridians, and expanded through his abdomen before splitting into two opposing currents.

He groaned softly, the mental and physical exertion nearly unbearable.

Ester, on the other hand, maintained a calm expression. Deep inside, she knew she was risking a great deal. Injecting her Qi into another body wasn't simple. It meant opening up a vulnerable part of herself and trusting that he wouldn't waste it. But Damon needed that initial push. Otherwise, the icy Qi would tear through his veins until nothing remained.

"Now…" she whispered, guiding more energy. "Follow the path."

Damon panted, trying to keep his mind clear. With every second, it felt like his body was a forge, fire and ice clashing, trying to destroy each other. But somehow, with Ester guiding, the chaos began to find order.

It wasn't perfect harmony, but it was the first glimpse of something possible.

He felt his energy respond, still unstable, but less hostile. The flow began to obey, albeit reluctantly. Damon took a deep breath, sweat dripping, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Heh... it's working..."

"Don't get distracted." Ester pressed her hand between his shoulder blades, releasing more energy. "I'm going to open some veins. Your body needs space to coexist with this Qi."

Damon's eyes widened. "Open... veins? That sounds painful."

"It will be." Her voice held no comfort. Only coldness. "But if you want to survive, you have to endure."

And before he could respond, her energy penetrated even deeper, like icy blades cutting from the inside out. Damon groaned loudly, his body arching forward, muscles tense like ropes about to snap. Blood trickled from his mouth again, but Ester didn't stop.

"Breathe." Her voice was firm, relentless. "Don't fight it. Accept it."

He breathed hard, his lungs burning. Each new energy cut opened an internal pathway, creating space for the icy Qi and normal mana to coexist. It was a cruel, painful, but necessary process.

With each opening, Damon's body screamed in pain. But something also changed. Little by little, the internal chaos subsided. The cold no longer felt like an alien force trying to destroy him, but a current finding its natural channel. The fire in his blood still burned, but now it flowed side by side with the ice.

Ester opened her eyes slowly, assessing her progress. Damon's face was pale, sweat running in rivers, but his breathing was no longer as ragged. He was still trembling, but he didn't seem about to pass out.

She removed her hand from his back, allowing the flow to stabilize on its own.

Damon remained still, breathing deeply, his eyes still closed. Deep within himself, he felt the difference. The icy energy was no longer attacking him blindly. It flowed, slow, dense, but obedient. A thread of order amidst the chaos.

When he opened his eyes, they glowed a bluish hue before returning to normal. He took a deep breath and smiled, exhausted.

"Hah... so it was like that..." he murmured, panting. "You really broke through."

Ester stood slowly, adjusting her cloak on her shoulders. Her face remained serious, but there was a shadow of relief in her eyes.

"Memorize every step," she said firmly. "Next time, you'll have to do it alone."

Damon laughed weakly, still sitting, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Damn... and here I thought the Crimson Night Devourer was savage enough to handle anything. Looks like he needed... a little push."

Ester didn't answer. She simply returned to the fire, sitting with her usual impeccable posture.

He watched her for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. The warmth of the fire contrasted with the chill inside, but this time it wasn't painfully cold. It was different. Almost comforting.

"You know…" he murmured, giving a crooked smile. "If I survive this, I'll be so strong, even you'll be impressed."

Ester snorted, crossing her arms. "Don't kid yourself. You're still years away from anything meaningful."

Damon laughed, closing his eyes again, returning to his cultivation posture. "There you are again… always ruining my excitement."

Silence fell again, broken only by the crackle of the flames and the wind from the forest.

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