Enso, however, remained behind with the six elders, who would personally oversee his initiation into Nether Energy.
They led him to a secluded shrine built entirely from a rare, dark wood. Its surface was reinforced with the shimmering carapace of giant spider shells, creating a solemn and sacred atmosphere. The structure and craftsmanship rivalled the complexity of Hana's throne.
Standing before the shrine, Hana began to speak in a solemn tone.
"Our conflict with the Roc has lasted for millennia," Hana said. "But long before the war, their ancestors were the first to wield Nether Energy in this dimension."
Enso scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, I thought you said they used Nature Energy?"
"Do not interrupt her," Yama said sharply, casting Enso a firm glance to remind him to stay quiet.
Hana gave a subtle nod of appreciation before continuing. "A thousand years ago, a humanoid with horns descended into this world. With them came a beast, a calamity made flesh, a creature that bent reality with its presence alone. At that time, we spiders were not what you see today. We were small, fragile, and lived in fear of the dominant race of the skies, the mighty Golden Roc."
She paused. Her expression turned distant, and her eyes drifted inward as if lost in the echoes of ancient memories.
"Long ago," Hana said seriously, "two-horned beings descended into this world. With them came a beast unlike anything we had ever seen, a calamity made out of pure Chakra so immense that it formed a physical body. It warped reality simply by existing."
Enso, sensing the gravity in her voice, stayed silent this time.
"Back then," she continued, "we spiders were nothing like what you see now. We were small, fragile, and lived in constant fear. The dominant force in this world ruled the skies. It was the Golden Roc, majestic, powerful, and merciless. To them, we were nothing but prey."
She looked out at the surrounding trees as if seeing through time itself.
"Our ancestors, desperate to change their fate, tried to harness natural energy. But no matter how hard they trained, they failed. The energy rejected us. It wasn't compatible with our kind. We couldn't absorb it the way the Roc did."
She paused, her expression darkening.
"During the invasion of the horned beings, the first ancestor of the Golden Roc rose to defend this world," Hana said. "He stood against them without hesitation and fought with everything he had. His strength was legendary, unmatched by any creature of his time. But even that was not enough."
Her voice lowered, heavy with reverence.
"He was gravely wounded in the clash. His feathers were burned, his bones shattered, and his radiant wings, once feared across the skies, were torn apart. Defeated and bleeding, he was forced to retreat. He crash-landed into our homeland, far from the heavens he once ruled. The Golden Roc suffered immense casualties that day. It marked the beginning of their decline."
Enso leaned forward slightly, eyes wide, drawn deeper into the tale. The gravity of her words filled the air with silence.
"On the brink of death, something miraculous happened," Hana continued. "His energy began to change. The pain, the trauma, and his will to survive reshaped it into something entirely different. It became raw, unstable, and infused with darkness and decay. That was when Nether Energy was first used."
She placed a hand against her chest, her gaze distant, as if reliving the memory deep within.
"This newfound energy was incompatible with the Golden Roc. It rejected them. But with us, it resonated. While Nature Energy had always pushed us away, Nether Energy accepted us. For the first time, we felt connected to power. But it was more than a change in energy. The Golden Roc Ancestor didn't just shift his essence. He became the very source of this new power."
She paused, letting the words linger for a moment.
"On his last breath, we gathered around him. We were powerless, too weak to fight, and unable to mend his wounds."
She looked down at her hands, her voice softening with the memory.
Her voice softened further but carried a weight that filled the space.
"In those final moments, the Roc made a decision that changed everything. He tore out a piece of his flesh and fed it to the leader of our kind. He asked us to fight in his place."
A heavy silence fell over the area.
"Those six evolved. Their bodies changed, their instincts sharpened. We became capable of harnessing the power of Nether Energy and strong enough to face the invaders. But we are not capable of becoming the source of that power like the Golden Roc Ancestor."
Hana stepped forward and formed a hand sign. The shrine before them groaned softly as ancient seals released, and a hidden compartment slowly opened.
Inside, pulsating gently, was a massive heart still alive and beating.
"The First Roc's heart," she whispered.
The heart hovered in a cradle of invisible spider silk. It shimmered with dark energy, and as it pulsed, a wave of Nether Energy brushed against Enso's face. He inhaled sharply.
The sensation was intense, like standing at the edge of a storm or watching a wildfire rage across a field. Something felt awfully familiar to Enso, but he could not quite place what it was.
Now he understood. The massive cocoon outside their home was not just for show. It was a form of protection. The invisible web covering the sky must have been spun by all six elders working together. They were not simply safeguarding their territory. They were guarding this heart.
Hana let him experience the energy for a moment before closing the shrine once again.
"After gaining our power," she said, "we allied with the leader of the Golden Roc. Together, we pushed back the invaders. The horned ones fled, and we finally reclaimed our home."
There was a pause before she continued, and when she spoke again, her tone grew heavier.
"After the battle, we offered to return the Roc's heart. It was, after all, their legacy. But something went wrong."
Enso tensed.
"The current leader of the Golden Roc tried to absorb the heart for himself. But it did not go as he planned. The moment he attempted to consume it, the First Roc's soul awakened. The heart unleashed a powerful surge of Nether Energy and forcefully pushed him back."
Tengen, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low and serious voice. "Our ancestors were assigned the task of fighting him off. Since that day, the Roc have accused us of devouring their ancestor. They claimed we betrayed them and have continued to hunt us without mercy, even though we once fought together as allies."
"We sealed the heart away," Hana said. "It is not just a sacred relic, but the origin of our power. It is the very source of Nether Energy itself."
Tengen crossed his arms and added with a grim tone, "In ten years, the Roc will launch another attack, one on a massive scale. We have seen the signs and prepared for it. It will be a difficult battle. Fortunately, our species reproduces quickly. Without that, we would not have the numbers to stand against them."
He looked at Enso, his expression firm and steady.
"When that day comes, we hope you will stand with us. You are one of us now. The summoning contract works both ways after all."
Enso's eyes widened. The contract he signed with the spiders was not just a formality or simple paperwork.
He nodded slowly. "Looks like I will need to master Nether Energy or I won't survive what's coming in ten years."
"That's the spirit," Tengen smirked. "You have time. For a human, ten years is more than enough."
"When can we start?" Enso asked, his tone suddenly serious and determined.
Without hesitation, Hana turned toward Tengen.
"You will train him. Your fighting style is closest to his. Guide him well."
Tengen grunted in acknowledgement, then motioned for Enso to follow.
They made their way to a secluded training ground nestled deep within the dense forest. The area was marked with clawed trees and worn statues of spider warriors, silent witnesses to battles long past.
"Kid," Tengen began, "you've already felt it. When Hana opened the shrine, that wave of energy, do you remember how it felt?"
Enso nodded slowly, still shaken by the raw power that had washed over him.
"That power requires refined control," Tengen continued, his voice low and serious. "If you want to survive, you have to learn to wield it. If you don't, it will consume you."
"That's Nether Energy. Your first step is learning to sense it and absorb it."
Enso closed his eyes, calling upon the clarity of his Kagura Mind Eye to guide him. He focused deeply, willing himself to connect with this new force. Time stretched on. What felt like ten minutes to him seemed like a hundred in the stillness. Then, at last, he felt it.
It was not like chakra. It was denser, more primal, yet somehow not entirely unfamiliar.
Tengen's brow rose in surprise. "Already? Most of my students take a full day just to sense even a flicker of it."
"I've trained a lot with chakra control," Enso said quietly. "Maybe that gave me an edge."
But as he delved deeper, his expression shifted. A new realisation settled in his mind.
This energy felt strikingly similar to the one Enso had sensed from Hayama. The dark and ominous force known as the "Curse of Killing." Yet there was something different this time. The energy seemed purer, more refined.
It was as if it had existed quietly in the atmosphere long before he or anyone else had ever noticed. It was not a fleeting curse but a deep, ancient power woven into the very fabric of their world.
The notion that the Golden Roc was the first to wield this energy now felt doubtful. Instead, it seemed more likely that the Roc's true contribution was in becoming the source itself. A living wellspring of this power.
The spiders' words began to make sense in a new light. What they had described was not just the creation of an energy but a profound transformation. Much like how Jugo and Mizuki actively absorb and control Nether Energy by balancing it with their immense chakra reserves, the Roc's energy must also be shaped and maintained through a similar process of fusion and control.
So this was the truth, Enso realised. This was why the energy had seemed so familiar from the start. It was the energy of death itself, raw and relentless. It surged strongest in those moments when life faded. At the instant the final breath leaves the body.
Enso felt a surge of excitement coursing through him. For quite some time, he had thirsted to master Hayama's unique jutsu, the mysterious technique that had fascinated him ever since he first encountered it. However, he has to wait until the Chunin Exam is over. At last, he had the chance to delve into the technique on his own terms.
"First, you need to absorb the Nether Energy and then balance it out with your Chakra," Tengen began, his voice steady and instructive. "To handle it, you must carefully balance your spiritual chakra and physical chakra. This is crucial because every user has an imbalance between these two energies."
He paused to let the weight of his words settle in the air. "Nether Energy is unlike anything you've dealt with before. It's overwhelming, unstable, and inherently chaotic. If you don't balance it carefully with both your spiritual chakra and your physical chakra, it will consume you from the inside out."
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if gauging the depth of Enso's understanding. "Everyone has an imbalance between those two forces. That imbalance is normal, but it's also what makes Nether Energy so dangerous. It does not tolerate instability."
He exhaled slowly, his voice low and measured. "You're lucky. The energy didn't reject you like it did the first human who tried to wield it long ago. He was powerful, maybe even more gifted than you.
But when he attempted to absorb Nether Energy, it penetrated into him and damaged him from the inside out. Not because he lacked strength, but because something deep within him was out of sync. The energy refused to accept him. It would not become one with someone it could not resonate with."
He stepped forward, his voice now steady and grave. "The Heart Revelation was not just about awakening your potential. It was also a test, one designed to see whether your body and soul could withstand the raw, unfiltered power left behind by the first Roc Ancestor. You passed. But now the real training begins."
Enso listened intently, the flicker of curiosity sparking deeper within him.
"Watch closely," Tengen instructed.
His eyes began to change. The whites slowly darkened, turning pitch black. The transformation was an unsettling sight that made Enso's pulse quicken.
Then, without a word of warning, Tengen opened his mouth and released a stream of golden silk balls. Tiny, glowing spheres floated gently into the air. There were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand, each one shimmering like a miniature sun. They hovered around him, casting delicate glimmers of golden light that danced across the ground.
"These silk balls contain concentrated Nether Energy," Tengen said, his tone calm and patient. "Your task is to inject your chakra into each one. The goal is to balance the volatile energy inside with your own. If your chakra fails to harmonise perfectly, the ball will destabilise and disappear. But if you manage to maintain that balance, even briefly, it means your body is ready to handle the energy directly."
He reached for one of the floating orbs. Holding it steady in his palm, he channelled a small, precise amount of chakra into it. The orb glowed brighter for a heartbeat, flickered erratically, then withered and vanished in a soft burst of light.
"It's not about overpowering it," Tengen continued. "It's about matching it. Like two flames joining without one snuffing out the other."
Enso's breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he froze, unsure of what was coming next. Why was this man showing him how to fail instead of teaching the correct way to do it? The approach felt backwards, almost careless, as if he was being set up to stumble before he could walk.
Then, with a steadying inhale, he reached out and gently took one of the glowing silk balls in his hand. It pulsed faintly with energy, warm and alien to the touch.
Focusing his chakra, he began to channel it into the orb. The moment his energy made contact, the silk ball flickered erratically, destabilised, and vanished without a sound.
He blinked, disappointed but not discouraged. That outcome had been expected. He had only just begun.
With renewed resolve, Enso gathered the remaining silk balls, cradling them carefully in both arms. Nearby, a massive tree stood like a sentinel, its thick trunk rooted deep into the sunbaked earth.
He moved beneath its canopy, grateful for the brief reprieve from the oppressive heat. The shade cooled his skin slightly, though the heavy air still clung to him. Sweat trickled down his neck and across his back, soaking into the fabric of his clothes.
Yet he paid no mind to discomfort. Sitting cross-legged beneath the tree, he placed the silk balls before him and closed his eyes for a moment, centring himself.
Then he resumed his training.
Again and again, he took a silk ball in hand, focusing his chakra and attempting to balance it against the volatile energy within. Each attempt ended the same way: a flicker, a shimmer, and then gone.
But he did not stop. Hours passed in steady, disciplined silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of wind through the branches or the soft pop of another failed attempt.
Time blurred as his focus deepened. The minutes stretched thin, expanding with the rhythm of his breathing. He fell into a trance-like state, his mind sharpening with every repetition. With each failure, he adjusted his chakra flow, his concentration, and the way he held the energy.
Slowly, he began to understand the subtle differences in each attempt. The silk balls were not merely passive vessels. They reacted to the slightest fluctuation in his chakra output.
The air shimmered faintly, and the ground baked beneath him. Sweat continued to roll down his face and arms, dripping from his chin, but he did not wipe it away. His eyes were locked on the silk balls. His attention was absolute.
After what felt like hours, something changed.
He picked up a silk ball, steadied his breath, and gently infused it with chakra. This time, the ball flickered but held. Only for a few seconds, but it did not vanish immediately. A small triumph. His lips curved into a faint smile before the orb finally dissolved.
That brief success was enough to reignite his spirit.
* Hey everyone, if you've made it this far and haven't left a review yet, please consider doing so. It would really help me out.