The Gate's light lit their way, casting elongated shadows as they moved toward the river's edge. When they arrived, June examined the water. The open sky and bright moon reflected off its surface. At first, nothing seemed unusual until he looked closer. The water was perfectly still, like stone. There was no sign of disturbance or movement, suggesting flow in any particular direction. That was very suspicious, especially since it was supposed to be a river.
"Stay sharp," June said, nodding toward the water.
"I've noticed," Elias said. "How are we doing this?"
June paused to think, a plan taking shape in his mind. "I'll go first while you cover me. If anything comes out of the water, you kill it. Once I'm across, I'll turn around and cover you. Just watch my six as you cross. God knows what's hiding in that jungle."
"Understood," Elias said, dropping to a knee.
June took a few quick breaths, hyping himself up before sprinting across. The path couldn't have been longer than thirty yards, a distance he covered in five seconds. No surprises came from the water as he briefly scanned the jungle, then spun, dropping to a knee, and waved Elias over. Everything was going according to plan until it wasn't.
It all began with Elias. As he reached the midpoint, his eyes widened, looking past June at something behind him. Elias raised his rifle and aimed at something. Without hesitating, June jumped to his left as Elias fired his MR-17A.
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
June tucked into a roll before rising back on his knees, facing the spot where he had knelt. The plasma bolts fired from Elias's rifle did their job, bringing down a creature that his mind struggled to grasp. It was a strange mix of familiar animals combined to form a monstrosity.
It resembled a centaur, except its lower body was that of a large cat, with a sleek black coat like a panther's. Instead of feline legs, six thin, spindly spider legs extended from its body, and it had a scorpion's tail. The same black fur went up its human torso, and a feline face stared at him with lifeless yellow eyes.
"What the fuck is that…that…thing?" Elias asked, crossing the pathway and giving it a wide berth.
"Your guess is as good as mine," June said before Sarah gave him the answer.
That is a Leopard Manticore.
A what?
A Leopard Manticore. It is a species of carnivorous monsters that originates from a planet in another sector of the universe. They are ambush predators who love to pounce on their prey from above. They are very dangerous creatures to fight, especially in a forest and in the dead of night.
June relayed her message to Elias before she spoke again.
Before you go running off into the jungle, I'd suggest you first unlock either your Soul Essence Core or Soul Energy Core.
Recalling their previous conversation, Sarah had mentioned that Soul Essence related to magic, while Soul Energy enhanced the body.
How do I do that?
That would require a lengthy explanation, so I recommend you find a safe place first.
Before any further discussion could take place, small motes of iridescent light floated up from the Leopard Manticore's corpse. The lights danced around like fireflies but stayed confined to a specific area just above the body. Eventually, the lights stopped rising from the corpse and began orbiting an invisible point.
June shielded his eyes as the lights sped up, merging into a single ball of light. An unseen force rapidly condensed the light, forming an object that shone just as brightly before dimming. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before dropping to the ground.
"What the hell is that?" Elias asked, blinking rapidly.
After blinking away the dark spots in his vision, June approached the item and found a crystal. "I think this is a Soul Crystal."
Quite perceptive of you. Yes, that's a Soul Crystal.
"Sarah confirmed it's a Soul Crystal. It contains the Soul Remnants of the monster," June said, picking up the crystal. "Here, you killed it, so it's yours."
Elias accepted it with a frown. "What am I supposed to do with it?"
"I haven't gotten to that part of the discussion yet with Sarah. Let's go back to the island, and you can ask your assistant."
Elias hesitated for a moment before handing the crystal back to June. "Here, you keep it instead."
June's brow furrowed as he looked at the crystal in Elias's hand. "Why?"
"You're better suited to using that than I ever would be, besides," he held up his rifle, "I've got this."
June stared hard and long at Elias, trying to figure out why he wouldn't want the crystal. He couldn't understand it in the end and gave in, placing the crystal in a spare pouch on his belt. "Come on, let's move."
They crossed back to the island and agreed that Elias would inform their ladies about what they had encountered. Elias entered the cabin as June stood watch on the porch, leaning against one of the posts.
Now's a good time, Sarah. Hit me with everything there is to know.
Right, so, first off, Soul Essence and Soul Energy are the two fundamental forces that govern the universe. A good analogy is the concept of Yin and Yang—two opposing forces that can exist independently yet are at their strongest when intertwined in harmony. This is the Concept of Duality.
Soul Essence embodies the mystical aspect of the universe, enabling you to harness magic. Meanwhile, your Soul Energy fortifies and boosts your body, allowing you to accomplish physical feats once considered impossible.
However, to access your Soul Essence and Energy, you must first look within yourself to find your Cores. Go ahead, try it.
June closed his eyes, looked inward, and found nothing before Sarah's voice interrupted him.
No. No. No. You've got to meditate, like actually sit and meditate.
But I'm on watch.
She growled before responding.
Don't you want to blow shit up with magic or have the strength and dexterity of an Olympic athlete?
June hesitated for a moment before saying anything.
Ye—
Before he could finish his sentence, Sarah's voice boomed in his mind.
THEN SIT YOUR ASS DOWN AND MEDITATE! AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE SOUL CRYSTAL IN HAND!
June flinched and instinctively covered his ears. After the ringing in his head subsided, he gingerly sat down, crossed his legs, took out the Soul Crystal, and held it before closing his eyes. He cleared his mind of everything and sank inward. Before long, the world around him faded away. Darkness, not too different from the Abyss, surrounded him, yet it wasn't as oppressive or frightening.
A light shone in the distance, and he floated toward it. What he found was something reminiscent of a solar system as he flew past the dull spheres that orbited two bright suns. The suns orbited each other, each a different hue and consistency. One swirled in streams of light green energy, while the other just glowed bright blue. Sarah's shocked gasp drew his attention from the orbs.
What's wrong?
Sarah's voice came out slow and quiet, trembling a little.
I don't believe it. You've actually unlocked both your Essence and Energy Cores. I didn't think you actually had, but you did!
I did?
Sarah's voice came a bit more frantic.
Yes! Look! See how the Cores behind you are dormant?
June remembered how the Cores he floated past were lifeless, with not a single light shining from them. They were the complete opposite of the two before him.
These here are your Soul Cores. The green one is your Essence Core—the other is your Energy Core. The rest are your Elemental Cores and Cores of Duality.
His heart leapt for joy, elated by her revelation.
How did that happen?
I don't know. You must have somehow unlocked them both during your encounter with the Dweller.
That had to be the only explanation.
So, what now?
Okay, first, take the Energy within your Core and rotate it.
June followed her instructions and found it more intuitive than he thought. The blue energy rotated clockwise, and the more focus he put on it, the faster it moved.
You're doing great! Just like that. Now, find your pathways leading from your Core. They extend from your Core to every part of your body, allowing you to circulate your Energy throughout your entire body.
He hadn't noticed it at first, lost in cycling his Essence. But with that piece of information, he could now sense the tendrils connecting to and from his Core. With a thought, he directed his Essence into the pathways branching away from his Core. A tingling sensation washed over him and lingered even after his Essence flowed back into his Core. He kept cycling his Essence through his body as Sarah laughed with joy.
Amazing! That's the fundamental idea of Cultivation.
He exhaled as ecstasy threatened to overwhelm him. His Soul Energy revitalized his body with strength and vigor. It became denser and more durable, yet did not impair his agility. His mind cleared as his thoughts flowed seamlessly.
Wow! This feels amazing!
I know, right? Now that you've achieved this, your Soul Energy will passively continue to circulate through your body. That will keep your body in prime condition for combat. Now you just have to repeat the process with your Soul Essence before absorbing the Soul Remnant inside the Soul Crystal you have.
June repeated the process with his Soul Essence before pulling out the Crystal.
How do I absorb it?
Well, that depends. Which of the two would you like to Cultivate first?
June then realized that he had no idea what Cultivating did and why it was necessary.
What will Cultivating do?
It depends. Cultivating your Soul Essence will boost how much you have, letting you cast more and stronger spells. Meanwhile, Cultivating your Soul Energy will continue to improve your body.
June gave it a quick thought. Magic would be nice and all, but he still had his MR-17A. The body enhancements would best serve his current needs.
I'll Cultivate my Soul Energy.
Then, simply extend your Soul Energy out and into the Crystal.
He focused on pushing some of his Energy coursing through his hand into the Crystal. The air around him hummed as a small amount of his Energy slowly seeped from his pores. It was difficult at first, as the Energy he pushed from his hand immediately dissipated the moment they left his pathways. It took him a few tries, but he eventually got it as his Energy entered the Crystal.
Now, circulate both your Energy and the Soul Remnant, blending them thoroughly. Then channel your Energy along with the Remnant back into your Core. Keep doing this until you've fully extracted the Remnant from the Crystal. And voilà, you're Cultivating your Soul Energy.
June sat still like a statue, cultivating for what felt like forever until he drained the Crystal completely. When he opened his eyes, he saw Elias looking at him with curiosity. But that wasn't all he saw. The world around him had changed, lit by strands of energy rising from the ground to break into tiny pools of iridescent light that bobbed and weaved in an intricate dance known only to the universe.
"Were you just meditating?" Elias asked as June watched in awe.
"Uhh, yeah," June said distractedly.
Elias frowned at June's reply. "What's wrong?"
His question finally brought June out of his reverie. "Nothing."
He then went on to explain his findings and presented the now inert Crystal to Elias. Elias took it, examined it, and then simply handed it back to him with a nonchalant shrug.
"What? Not impressed?" June asked as he put the Crystal back into his pouch.
"Eh, all this mumbo jumbo about Cultivation and meditation. It's just not for me, you know. I'm a man of good old American firepower," Elias said, patting the rifle slung across his chest.
June realized that trying to persuade Elias with words alone would be mostly useless. So he stepped off the porch and grabbed a log that they hadn't yet split into firewood. "This is what you can do after Cultivating."
Gripping it tightly, June strained for a moment before the wood snapped, ripping the log in two with splinters flying everywhere. He tossed the two pieces into the firewood pile, barely breaking a sweat, and turned to Elias with a shit eating grin.
"Well, I'll be damned," Elias said, dumbfounded, before sharing a similar smile. "I'm game."