Tian steeled himself with a resolve born from twelve cycles of failure and frustration. This time, instead of focusing on external events he could not control, he would direct all his energy toward something he might actually influence—his own power. The realization that came from his conversation with Grand Elder Zivan had been both humbling and liberating: perhaps the answer lay not in changing the world around him, but in transforming himself within it.
"The process is like understanding how to create a certain piece of puzzle and place it correctly," Elder Zivan began, his cosmic voice carrying the weight of generations of accumulated wisdom. "Each piece must be formed one at a time, slowly building and connecting them to make a complete whole. Only then can you progress to the next higher level and repeat the same process with greater complexity."
The Grand Elder's starry eyes seemed to pierce directly into Tian's consciousness as he continued his explanation. "Each person has different types of pieces and different places where they fit properly. That is why this path differs for everyone, and why you are the only one who can truly understand your own awakening. No one else can walk this journey for you."
Zivan gestured toward the meditation position with hands that moved like flowing water. "Focus on drawing in the ambient energy and condensing it into these puzzle pieces. Feel how they want to connect, where they belong in the greater pattern of your chakra system. Do not force them—guide them gently into their proper positions."
Tian settled into the lotus position with a determination he hadn't felt in any of his previous cycles. This time, he cleared his mind of all worries about future events, pushing aside the knowledge of approaching hordes and Greater Hasuras. None of that mattered now. What mattered was this moment, this breath, this opportunity to understand the fundamental nature of his own power.
As he began the chanting Elder Zivan had taught him, ancient words in a language that seemed to resonate with his very bones, Tian felt something shift in his consciousness. The divine energy from the consumed orb, which had always felt wild and barely controlled, began to respond to his focused intention with greater precision than ever before.
The meditation deepened gradually, each breath carrying him further into a state of awareness that transcended ordinary consciousness. He could feel the energy moving through his body like liquid light, but now he could also perceive its structure—the way it wanted to organize itself, the patterns it sought to form, the connections it yearned to make.
Hours passed in what felt like moments. The discomfort that had initially accompanied his attempts to manipulate divine energy faded as his understanding grew. He began to perceive what Elder Zivan had meant about puzzle pieces—discrete units of organized energy that could be shaped by will and intention, then fitted together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.
The first piece formed slowly, a crystalline structure of concentrated power that settled into his root chakra with a satisfaction he could feel throughout his entire being. Then came the second, different in nature but complementary to the first. One by one, he crafted these energy constructs, each one teaching him something new about the relationship between consciousness and power.
As he worked, Tian began to understand that this was not simply about accumulating energy—it was about creating a foundation for controlled growth. Each piece he successfully integrated made the next one easier to form, building a network of organized power that could support increasingly complex applications.
The meditation continued until the familiar sound of urgent footsteps echoed through the sacred chamber. Hisag burst through the entrance, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by obvious alarm.
"Grand Elder," he gasped, bowing quickly before delivering his report, "our scouts have returned with urgent news. A large horde of creatures is approaching the sanctuary—Vykras, Grimjaws, Vorthak, and four Hasuras leading the assault. They will reach us within hours."
Tian opened his eyes slowly, watching the familiar scene unfold exactly as it had in his previous cycles. Elder Zivan's expression shifted from peaceful meditation to alert concern, while other elders began arriving in response to the emergency summons that would shortly be issued.
But this time, Tian felt no compulsion to interfere or warn anyone. He had tried that approach multiple times with no success. Instead, he quietly withdrew from the chamber before the full council could assemble, making his way back to where his teammates waited in the crystal chamber.
"Tian!" Elena called out as he rejoined the group. "We were starting to worry. Elder Lysara said you had urgent business with the Grand Elder. Is everything alright?"
"Everything is proceeding as it should," he replied calmly, settling back into his meditation position among his friends. Around them, the sanctuary began to stir with the controlled urgency of people preparing for battle.
The events that followed unfolded exactly as Tian had witnessed thirteen times before. The creature horde approached with predictable timing and composition. The defenders, guided by supernatural intuition and careful preparation, positioned themselves for optimal defensive efficiency. The battle raged above ground while non-combatants sheltered in the sanctuary's depths.
Elena provided running commentary on the sounds of combat filtering down from above, her medical training allowing her to interpret the ebb and flow of the engagement. "It sounds like our people are winning," she reported, relief evident in her voice. "The attacks are becoming more sporadic, less coordinated."
Hours later, the victorious defenders returned, their faces grim despite their success. The threat had been eliminated, but their location was now compromised. Preparations for migration began immediately, families gathering essential possessions while warriors prepared the sanctuary's various creatures for the journey ahead.
Amara slipped into her ethereal form to witness the incredible transformation that followed. "The tree is beginning to contract," she reported, her spiritual voice filled with the same wonder Tian had heard in every previous cycle. "The branches are folding inward, and the roots are lifting the entire structure from the cavern floor."
The migration proceeded exactly as before—the sanctuary rising to the surface, transforming into a massive seed, then shrinking to the size of a grain of dust as it began its journey through the toxic atmosphere. The mood inside their compressed world remained festive and hopeful, people celebrating their survival and marveling at their elders' incredible abilities.
But Tian knew what was coming. He felt no surprise when Amara's ethereal observation was suddenly cut short by her terrified scream: "SNAKE!!!"
The familiar sensation of reality collapsing around him was almost gentle this time, like falling asleep after a long day of satisfying work.
BAM.
Tian's eyes opened within the silver cocoon for the fourteenth time, but immediately he sensed that something fundamental had changed. The divine energy flowing through his enhanced vision seemed more organized, more responsive to his conscious direction. The chaotic streams of power that had overwhelmed him in previous awakenings now felt manageable, even familiar.
As Elder Lysara began dissolving the protective cocoon with her practiced motions, Tian could feel the puzzle pieces he had crafted during his meditation with Elder Zivan—they were still there, still perfectly integrated into his chakra system. The hours of focused work had not been lost with the cycle's reset.
"How do you feel?" Elder Lysara asked, her voice carrying the same gentle concern he had heard thirteen times before.
But this time, his answer was different.
"Great," he replied, and meant it completely.
The word seemed to surprise Elder Lysara, who had perhaps been expecting confusion or disorientation. But Tian felt neither of those things. Instead, he experienced a clarity of purpose and understanding that had been absent from all his previous awakenings.
He understood now what had happened during his meditation with Elder Zivan. The puzzle pieces he had painstakingly crafted were not just temporary constructs—they were permanent changes to his spiritual architecture, modifications that persisted even when reality itself seemed to reset around him.
Moving with fluid grace, Tian shifted into the lotus position without being prompted. The meditation posture felt natural now, comfortable in a way it never had before. He could feel the energy pathways Elder Zivan had taught him to create, could sense the precise locations where each puzzle piece belonged.
As he began to work with the organized energy structures he had built, Tian realized that his training was accumulating across cycles. While everything else in the world returned to its predetermined starting point, his own spiritual development continued to progress.
I have to check now, he thought to himself, a plan beginning to form in his mind. If his power could grow beyond the limitations of the temporal loop, if his understanding could deepen with each repetition, then perhaps he had finally found the key to breaking free from this endless cycle.
The question was no longer whether he could change the events around him—it was whether he could become powerful enough to transcend them entirely.