"Halt." A group of guards stopped the rider before he could dismount, or proceed. The order given was expected to be obeyed, or a dozen arrows would pierce the rider's body.

"I've come to seek assistance from the Black One of Underground Black." The rider said and threw a sack on his hip to the guard. The guard quickly weighed the silver in the bag on a scale near the door, and nodded. There were set weights for each service, for quick reference.

"Open."

Once the gate was opened, the rider entered the sectioned off part of town. Here, it was not regulated by the kingdom, but it was not lawless as the controls were extremely rigorous. No one could enter unless they belonged, or had business.

The rider proceeded to a manor, and again, the guards stopped him, as per the routine.

"I seek Underground Black, and the assistance of the Black One." The guards looked at each other.

"Truth." A robed being in white said.

"You paid the fee, you may enter. Obey the Black One in all their words or don't walk out." The guard opened the gate, and the white robed person entered the door ahead of the rider.

The hidden guard for the Magistrate did not deal with Underground Black often, but there were enough rumors to know that this dark element user was powerful, and unpredictable. He just hoped he would be able to walk out alive.

"Guard for the Magistrate, sit." The one seated on a couch indicated a seat on the other side of the room. The guard grunted, and didn't deny the statement. The voice sounded old, so he would get no details from it.

"I seek clarity." The Black One looked at the white robed individual.

"Truth." The Black One nodded, and waved their hand to indicate that they should continue.

"A young woman killed mercenary thieves, beheaded three, and left two others with heart wound deaths. She was not aware of the possibility of a transformation into a zombie." The Black One looked left.

"Truth, as he knows it." She waved again.

"Another guard watched the young woman approach the corpses the following day, and close her eyes. She held out her hand, and after a minute or so, the bodies began to twitch and bounce before becoming still again. She then beheaded the remaining two." The Black One looked at the other one quickly.

"Partial truth." The guard knew this was the moment where his life was in the greatest danger.

"She incinerated the bodies afterward." He released the rest of the information. The fact that he told them the missing information would not get back to the Magistrate, but neither would he if he left it out now.

"Truth."

"You wish to know whether or not they played with dark elements." The guard nodded. "It seems to be true. Dark elements are not easy to manipulate, and if there is no affinity, the costs are high. The costs are still high even if there is an affinity. Most use dead bodies to generate the dark spirit essence, and keep corpses intact for such a purpose." The Black One extended a hand and shows skin that was withered, and pale.

"Most can not absorb the elements without there being an abundance, and a cost. Two dead bodies before transformation does not provide enough for a high level cultivator to absorb. If you want my advice, do not mess with such a person. Their control over the elements are at such a degree that they are more monster then human." The person closed their eyes for a brief moment.

The Black One felt startled. She could sense an incredible amount of spirit essence, and it moved as it willed. She could only guess that it came from this lone cultivator.

"Hm, interesting." The Black One opened their eyes and lifted their gaze. "Tell the Magistrate that there are currently peaceful intentions in the forest. I also feel significant enough strength to feel it from here." The Black Once stood up.

"For reference, I can barely feel the fluctuations of spirit from the Magistrate, and he is close by. This one is like a blazing signal fire, currently under control, and peaceful. Don't agitate the coals."

The guard bowed and left. The white robed person looked at the Black One as it spoke to her.

"Get me four guards capable of traversing to the old merchant's ruined manor in the forest." The now softer voice said.

"You wonder if they can help you?"

"Yes, sister. I do." The Black One said tiredly.

"Truth."

* * *

"Freshly chopped down trees. Blood. Some signs of a few battles, but short lived ones." The guard said to the Black One.

"She is strong. Not many spirit beasts will be a match for her." The Black One said. She turned her head as a person came out from the ruined manor's doorway.

"You speak with confidence, but I know we've never met." The Black One watched as the lovely young woman tilted her head. "Interesting. There is more of that black cloud around you then there was around those corpses."

"That is why I have come. May we speak?" She watched the girl nod.

"You may bring your guards. There are only flame wolves around. The stone bears are further east, a big slippery bugger is a bit south in the river, and two boars a few miles north. The horses won't fit, but there are no spirit beasts inside." Aila turned around and walked inside.

"Two of you stay here. Watch the horses. If she wanted to kill me, all four of you wouldn't be able to stop her. No unsteady or swift movements. Keep your hands off your swords unless you see a beast approach." The guards nodded, and walked with her as per her instructions.

They followed her deeper into the formerly ruined manor, saw the area of the manor she already swept, and some of the repairs to the walls she had already started. Their eyes saw many things. Fresh stone. Wood so smooth, few craftsmen could achieve it without a large amount of effort.

When they found her at the back, the guards nearly choked on their surprise. She placed her hands on the stone floor, and 'grew' a chair from the stone. She placed a fur covering and gestured to the seat.

"Forgive me, I never expected company. I have only encountered thieves." The Black One waved her old withered hand to dismiss the explanation. This caught Aila's attention. "May I?" She asked as she gestured to the Black One's hand.

"That's why I'm here. Dark elements have side effects for those unable to properly absorb it." Aila examined her hand.

"I see the truth of your words." Aila looked closely, but she was able to see it clearly without using much energy. "Your channels are clogged with residue." She lightly rubbed her wrists.

"Earth, light, flame, and water. It seems that your cultivation method is not pure, and takes any random elements in at the same time, but you only direct the dark colored elements into your mental space." The Black One faltered.

"You use odd words. Elements? Space?"

"Ah, my knowledge is different then yours." Aila said, and rolled her eyes. Her knowledge was from elementary text books, refined through experimentation on the materials she had at hand.

"Elements. I know you call it spirit, but to me, these elements are the building blocks of existence." She learned this through logic as if she absorbed the element, the material would dissolve. "The material form, which is earth, air or wind, and water, while metal is a more powerful form of earth, and encompasses all metals." She gestured to the stone. "That is the material form, and like the soil, it is made of the earth element."

"The immaterial form is the energy that moves the material form. Flame, or fire, light, dark, and life. Wood is held together with life elements, and only exists due to the life elements. Fire elements can release the energy stored within it." The Black One listened intently, and gasped when Aila picked up a piece of wood. It dissolved in her hand.

"Though wood itself is a material form, it's not an element as it doesn't exist without a different element, the life element, binding it together." She looked at one of the guards. "Can you get me two stones from outside?" The Black One nodded, so the guard disappeared for minute, and came back with two stones the size of bricks.

"Excellent. Stone doesn't exist without the earth element binding it together." She dissolved one stone. Aila used her finger and cut the second stone in half. "I can also use the earth element to fuse the two back together, as that is their binding force. Water is bound with water element. Ice is bound with water element, but due to its material form being altered, it is a stronger version of that element. Metal is the same." She put the two pieces together, and they became one smooth stone in her hand. The Black One felt a bit of shock at her words, and actions.

"Where I am from, darkness is just the absence of light. Here, dark is an immaterial form, and has energy within it. Though death is a lack of life, it also has energy. Light has energy, and can add power to Life. Death doesn't exist without dark elements, and Life doesn't exist without Light." Aila's hand glowed green, and she put it on the Black One's hand.

"Not only are your channels, or meridians clogged with elements you don't use, the death element saturates your body. This slowly disperses the Life element that all living things possess naturally. That also explains why you're aging quickly. If it was the dark element, which you have an affinity to, this would not happen." Aila frowned, a little confused. "Hm, you should be able to see it yourself." The Black One sighed.

"I might not be able to see it as you do." She said in a small voice.

"That makes sense. I wonder. Maybe you're not sensitive enough to it. Well, let me absorb the waste residues, and cleanse these channels. Then I'll see if I can help you to either fully absorb the dark elements, or cleanse and replenish the Life element." Aila closed her eyes.

"This may become uncomfortable."