The Lotus of Piety. It was not a living parasite, at least not the same as the others that had been chosen. Like most plants, this Lotus was completely unconscious, it did not feel. Therefore it was often thought of as the coward's choice. To remove yourself from the competition of eating, to actively avoid taking conscious life and eating to get stronger, you have willingly made yourself weak. A Herbivore. That was what they would call you. While normal humans were beneath cultivators, the Herbivores were a contested class. To be given the privilege and talent to cultivate and choose something so passive, was a great shame. Behind their backs even regular humans would mock them.
"Do you regret it already?" The boy's Grandfather gestured to the small white Lotus held in a shoddy wooden box. They walked side by side along the dirt road and out of the village towards the woods. The boy supporting the small crate with both hands, as if holding something precious.
"...No. I just did what you said, I chose what I felt was right."
"You know what that means, don't you?" His Grandfather had pointed to the Lotus. Everyone in the village, no perhaps in this vast world knew what they symbolized.
"Of course, Grandfather. It's just..."
"Well, I suppose there's nothing to worry about. I had a feeling something like this would happen." He chuckled lightly. His eyes glazing over slightly in reminiscence.
"You were prepared to be disappointed?" The child looked down slightly. He was afraid to speak. Scared to be called a coward by his Grandfather as well.
"Hardly." His Grandfather didn't elaborate any further, just gazing into the distance with a small smile to himself.
"...Grandfather, I really did choose poorly didn't I?" The boy regarded the Lotus with skepticism, yet even as he held that object of scrutiny in his gaze, his eyes had lit up.
"What makes you think that, child?"
"Everyone laughs at the Lotus." The Lotus of Piety in specific was the target of such harassment. There were other parasites and even entire elements that were derided and laughed at by humans and other cultivators alike. But the Lotus itself was special amongst them.
"Is that all?"
"Hm?" The boy was puzzled upon hearing his Grandfather's reply. To laugh at a cultivator's constitution was a great offence, a stain upon their honour. If eating was holy, then the diet and element a cultivator controlled was their Gospel.
"If laughs are all then that isn't so bad, is it?" It was a view completely removed from the common sense of this world. The boy wondered if his Grandfather had finally went senile.
"..."
"Do you think the Bloody Baron or The Gourmet would be discouraged by a few laughs and jibes?" He regarded his grandson in all seriousness.
"No." But who would ever laugh at the Bloody Baron or Gourmet? The boy thought quietly.
"Both of those living legends use elements thought theoretically impossible in the past, even today that's the case. The truly great succeed where history fails."
"Doesn't that contradict what you said earlier?" Certainly the path was already paved by history. However, if you wanted to change the world, to become a great influence then you had to make your own path. Great men and women disregarded convention and moved on regardless of what the world thought about them.
"Of course it does. The human spirit is the most contradictory element in this world. In reality there are few absolutes. Think about the reason you were so drawn to that Lotus in the first place, that is the answer you need to grasp." A small cave entrance appeared through the bushels, a large boulder was stationed just outside the mouth of the solitary cavern.
"But I don't-"
"That's enough for now child, we've arrived."
"Wait, I-"
"This moment is not the time for discussion, it is the time for action. Trust in your choices. Trust in yourself. Do that and the answer will appear before you. Reflect. Do that and your soul will act as the mirror to see what you truly are. Take care, I'll be back in three days." The boy was guided, almost coerced into the cave. The large boulder automatically blocking the mouth following his entrance. A boulder much too heavy for a child of such miniscule stature to move alone.
This would be his confines for the next three days. A tiny forgotten cave, with not even the slightest speck of light entering. There was no sound, no light, not even a noticeable smell. The only sensations one could hope to feel was the sensation of touch through the cave floor and the taste of the parasite you intended on devouring.
They limited the sensations, with that they could more easily focus on the internal. The soul. Only when they become aware of that, can they begin attuning.
----
Well then... what do I do, now?
The dark was oddly comforting. I held a strange affection for it, what seemed to frighten other children was instead a great haven to me. At least in the dark, people couldn't see me. In turn I couldn't see them either. It brought me great relief. Though, I knew I was all alone right now...
All alone for the next three days, without anyone to talk to... Just this Lotus in my hands.
Why did I pick this of all things? Am I stupid?
Judging by the words of Instructor that might be the case.
Ahhh! Everyone chose cool elements! Yana with her Lightning Popper Beetle, Chen with his Bombardier Fire Ant. What have I got... A plant. A glorified flower...
The last three choices were this Lotus, a Gravel Snail and the Pestilent Tree Frog.
I could have the aspect of Earth or Toxicity, but instead I chose flowers... I'm sorry Mother, your son is a failure. A Herbivore.
I can't help it, I just didn't want to put that gross looking snail in my mouth! I could see the slime and mucus in the trail it left as it slid around in the container. Just imagining that texture in my mouth almost makes me want to hurl. It's even got me heaving now...
Then came the Pestilent Tree Frog... It's poisonous. That means I'll never be able to enjoy another meal again in my life. If I ever want to progress, I have to eat toxic animals and plants. Which will never taste good. The setback for even eating one as your first meal has you bed-ridden for three days. Impossible.
...
...
...
...
...Enough, it's just me here. I'm sorry for lying...
I'll just be honest Mother... I don't want to eat them. Not because I can't... Not in that way at least... It wasn't a matter of texture, taste or even the element I could gain...
I just couldn't bring myself do it. I tried, I really did. As soon as their eyes met mine, I lost all the nerve I had mustered up. The eyes that solemnly regard me from their cages. They pierce into my soul. Everyone is right; that was the real reason that I chose the Lotus of Piety. I can't eat that which looks back at me.
I'm a coward.
Always have been, always will be.
...
It'd be nice if you were still-
No, I suppose that's impossible now...
...
Three days, huh? I suppose I should eat this thing as soon as I can. If I fail at this stage...
No, don't think about that.
Looking at the Lotus, or at least I think I'm looking at it... It was so dark I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face, though I could feel the box and the aforementioned Lotus inside. Retrieving the small flower, I imagined what it looked like in front of me. For some reason it was sparking a foreign feeling of familiarity in me... Is this what having good affinity for an element felt like?
...Did it matter how I ate it?
Do I eat it whole, without chewing? Or do I chew each and every petal meticulously?
There were specific instructions for other parasites, such as the Bombardier Fire Ant which required you to pinch the fore limbs and prevent an expulsion of flames until the last moment, when you could most easily accept the element. They were specially given instructions to prevent major injury and death. The Lotus of Piety on the other hand had no such instructions, it wasn't like they encouraged using the element... It was only because this village was so small that it was even included in the selection. I just happened to be the idiot that chose it...
Nothing to be done about it... I couldn't fail here. The only thing to do is eat and concentrate.
Just like that, I ingested the Lotus in a single gulp. Lying down in the position we had been taught in class. Keep a stable base on the ground, allow your limbs to sink peacefully. Forget about the body and it's sensations, focus on the internal. Focus on the soul.
So this is what the next three days of my life are going to be...
Great.