Five days after the elemental storm, Jalen stirred.
The blanket draped over him slid to his lap as he sat up, his breath shallow, his joints aching. Though his body bore no visible wounds, every movement felt strained, as if his spirit itself had been torn and stitched back together. He rubbed his forehead, grimacing—not from pain, but from pressure. A migraine without cause. A storm without wind.
His spirit sea is in shambles.
He blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the soft glow of the platform. Residual energy still pulsed in the air, a quiet testament to the chaos he had endured. Zakai sat nearby, cross-legged, cultivating in silence. Light hovered above, his form flickering faintly with radiant qi.
"How long was I out?" Jalen asked, his voice hoarse.
"Seven days," Zakai replied without opening his eyes.
Jalen groaned, reaching into his pocket realm and retrieving a fresh set of robes. He dressed slowly, each movement deliberate. His body was whole, but his soul felt fractured. Once clothed, he stood and stretched, wincing as his joints protested.
"We got what we came for," he muttered. "Let's leave."
Zakai opened his eyes, his expression unreadable. "Leaving the subrealm isn't the issue," he said. "It's exiting the sealed state I'm worried about."
Jalen paused. "What do you mean?"
"Light told me you'd know the way."
Jalen turned sharply. "He said what—"
"You stinky brat," Light snapped, his voice echoing across the platform. "Do you doubt my words?"
"Of course not," Zakai said quickly, raising his hands in surrender.
Light turned to Jalen. "You, kid. Use that light technique to get us out of this subrealm."
Jalen nodded, gathering his qi. He activated Flash Reverse to take himself, Zakia and Light and appeared outside the Mountain of Fortitude.
Jalen tried again, pushing Flash Reverse to its limit, attempting to breach the sealed state itself. But the technique failed. The qi collapsed. He reached the border—the exact point where they had entered Arian—but no further.
The seal held.
"You dumb kid," Light scolded. "I said get us out of the subrealm, not the sealed state. These barriers were forged by formations from the Upper Realm. You are no match for such constructs."
"But you said—" Zakai began.
"I know what I said," Light interrupted. "Don't twist my words."
Then, telepathically, Light spoke to Jalen alone.
"I need you to talk to the Origin Shard. Get it to assist us with leaving here."
Jalen frowned. "Can it really do that?"
"Yes," Light replied. "Every eternal-grade spirit tool has a speciality. Luminal Heart and I are light. The Origin Shard can use unlimited elements—but its true affinity is spatial qi. It can travel between worlds. It is how it was able to leave the upper realm and get here to the lower realm, how it managed to evade many cultivators who chased after it."
Jalen's breath caught.
Spatial qi?
The Origin Shard had never used it. Not once. Not during battle. Not during cultivation. It had always seemed to only devour other sources of energy to empower him but never use an element for itself. And yet, if Light was right, then the shard had been holding back.
"But will it even listen to me?" Jalen asked. "It's never obeyed. It does what it wants."
"I know the shard is very difficult to deal with, sly and unpredictable," Light said. "But you are its wielder. It should obey your will since it acknowledges you as its master."
That was the real question.
Did the Origin Shard truly recognize him?
Jalen closed his eyes, reaching inward. He found the shard in his dantian merged with his primary spirit core. It pulsed faintly, its energy coiled like a serpent, dormant but aware. He reached out with his mind, not to command, but to commune.
"I need your help to leave this place," he said silently.
The shard stirred.
"The origin shard indeed can get you out of here," it said, "but it comes at a price."
Jalen's mind sharpened. "What kind of price?"
"Eternal spirit tools are stronger than anything in this cultivation world, but these tools have what can be described as a sort of flaw, and that is to have wielders within a certain time frame, or else these tools will go dormant or, worst case scenario, fade out of existence. However, when these tools are bound to these wielders, the weapons' powers become limited.
These weapons can tap into that great power every now and then, but it will be at the danger of the host. It can also be dangerous to the weapon. You remember that time the origin shard rescued you from that cultivator from that weakened upper realm cultivator that was sealed at the Kanto Ridge; it had taken a lot of energy to refine his qi so it would be beneficial to your growth instead of being toxic to you, which is why you were out for those few days and the shard was unresponsive.
The origin shard is saying all of this to let you know that if it does get you outside of this sealed state, the price will be even more severe than that. It might be deactivated for a year or more, depending on the amount of energy it uses to cross the seal. You might be in a coma for months as a result. Worst case scenario, you might die. After all, this sealing formation is not something your level of power can pierce through even if the origin shard assists you."
This is a very difficult situation. If Jalen chooses to use this method, it's bad, but at the same time, he can't stay here.
"Isn't there another option?"
"Well, you can wait until you enter the transcendent megastar realm."
"And how long will that take?"
"Two to three thousand years."
"I can't wait that long."
"The origin shard can make you get that stronger in a shorter time if you so wish it, but your body will implode from all that power in the end."
"Any other solution?"
"Well, the origin shard can break the formation seal by absorbing its vast energy, but that will destroy the seal and free the upper realm cultivators trapped here. The energy from the seal will also be stored in your body, and you will be destroyed."
"That's not an option."
"Allow your other eternal spirit-grade tools to be devoured by the origin shard. With these two tools' energies, the origin shard will be able to get you out of here with minimal side effects."
So that's what it's after. Just as Jalen was about to say something, an unfamiliar voice echoed in his head.
"I will help you leave here, master," it said.
"Who are you?"
"So you finally decided to communicate, eternal spirit-grade tool masquerading as a second spirit core." The origin shard said.
"Give me three days," the voice coming from the second spirit core said.
"And how will you get him out of here?" the origin shard asked, but he got no answer.
"Can you really get us out of here in three days' time?" Jalen asked.
"I could do so right now if it's your wish, but in your current state it will be too much on your spirit seas and body, so I need you to use those days to recover," the second spirit core replied.
The origin shard refrained from getting involved anymore.
"Alright?" Jalen nodded. Then he asked. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you, really?"
"The short answer would be I am you. An echo of your soul, born from the same essence that forged your spirit."
Jalen's breath caught. The words echoed through his soul, unsettling and familiar. Was he truly speaking to himself? Or to something deeper—something he had always been but never understood?
"Eternal-grade spirit tools are like spirit lifeforms—born from the essence of nature and forged into powerful instruments to serve a wielder. That's what makes them similar to ordinary spirit tools, which are crafted by cultivators rather than nature itself.
Some, like your friend Light, evolve and gain personhood over time.
But we… we are different.
We are a naturally born eternal-grade spirit with personhood. We were never forged. We were never bound.
And our personhood—or rather, my personhood—is Jalen Hewitt."
"So I am talking to myself," Jalen said.
"It could be interpreted that way, but it's not that simple. Think of my voice as your conscience… or perhaps your subconscious mind."
"I still don't get it."
"Just focus on recovering for now. In three days' time I will help you get out of here. And I thought you should know that the cost will be an entire realm of your cultivation."
Jalen didn't like the sound of that, but if it helps him get out of here, so be it; he can always cultivate back to the sage realm.
He emerged from his inner communion and shared the message with Light and Zakai: they would leave in three days. Zakai didn't question it—he simply nodded, silent and resolute.