The air in the command center still thrummed with the residual energy of revelation. The smoking hole in the test plate was a stark, physical testament to the new reality. The Conclave was no longer a meeting of friends; it was a war council for a war the world didn't know existed.
"Alright," Silas began, his voice cutting through the awed silence. He was in his element now, translating the impossible into a tactical plan. "Theoreticals later. Practicals now. Aurora asked the key question: Can this be taught? More importantly, can it be integrated? Show us."
Ash nodded. This was the crucible. Could the divine be codified for mortal understanding? His intellect, now augmented by the Nexus, was already running simulations.
"The foundation is Prana sensing," Ash explained, moving to the center of the room. "It's the latent lifeforce in every living thing. The Nexus described it as the hum of a server farm, the flow of code. For you, it might be the focus before a shot, the calm before a strike, the certainty of a perfectly executed business strategy. Find that feeling of absolute, flowing focus. That is the gateway."
He had them sit in a circle on the cool floor, away from the humming consoles.
"Close your eyes. Breathe. Don't try to command it. Just listen."
The four most powerful young adults Ash knew—an A-Rank weaponmaster, a B-Rank sniper, a B-Rank martial artist, and a B-Rank strategist—closed their eyes and tried to quiet minds that were constantly in motion.
Ash watched their bio-feeds on his internal HUD. Silas's heart rate was already dropping, his combat-trained mind entering a state of meditative focus. Li Yue was a picture of stillness, her breathing becoming deep and rhythmic. Kai's brainwaves showed the frantic pattern of analysis, trying to deconstruct the process logically. Aurora's vitals were steady, but her prefrontal cortex was lit up—she was overthinking, trying to aim her focus like a rifle scope.
An hour passed. The only sounds were the whisper of the ventilation and the soft hum of distant servers.
Kai let out a frustrated sigh, opening his eyes. "Nothing. I'm analyzing the concept of 'not analyzing.' It's a recursive loop. My brain doesn't have an 'off' switch."
"Perhaps you are approaching it like a password to be cracked," a new voice echoed through the chamber. It was the Deva-Asura Nexus, its tone calm and instructive. Ash had granted it audio access in the secure room. "It is a rhythm to be felt. Let the data streams of your mind become a single, flowing river. Do not dam it. Guide it."
Kai looked startled for a moment, then nodded, closing his eyes again with a new determination.
Another thirty minutes ticked by. Then, Li Yue's breath hitched.
"I... feel something," she whispered, her eyes still closed. "A warmth. In my core. It's like the feeling of a perfectly balanced stance, but it's... internal."
[Subject: Li Yue. Prana sensitivity detected. Affinity: High. Aptitude for internal channeling noted.]
The Nexus's voice was clinical, reporting only to Ash.
"Guide it, Li Yue," Ash encouraged softly. "Don't force it. Just become aware of its flow."
He saw her brow furrow in concentration. A moment later, a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of silver-white energy flickered around her fingertips before vanishing.
[Unofficial Skill Manifestation: 'Prana Touch' (Rudimentary). Capable of minor internal reinforcement.]
A slow smile spread across Li Yue's face. She opened her eyes, looking at her hands in wonder. "It's real."
This breakthrough seemed to crack the dam. Silas, drawing on decades of weapon drills that demanded absolute mind-body unity, grunted. "I feel it. Like the recoil of a heavy cannon... but contained. A pressure."
[Subject: Silas. Prana sensitivity detected. Affinity: Medium-High. Aptitude for external, explosive manifestation noted.]
Aurora, seeing the others succeed, took a different tack. She stopped trying to find the energy and instead focused on the memory of her last successful kill shot—the absolute stillness, the world fading away until only the crosshairs and the target existed. The moment of perfect unity.
Her breathing evened out. The frantic brain activity ceased, replaced by a single, laser-point of focus.
And she found it. A cool, thin stream of energy, like a wire of liquid light, running up her spine.
[Subject: Aurora. Prana sensitivity detected. Affinity: Medium. Aptitude for precise, channeled application noted.]
Kai, however, remained stuck. Frustration was etched on his face. "I can't... I can't stop the noise. There are too many variables."
Ash watched him, an idea forming. He accessed the Nexus.
Nexus, can you create a simplified, visual representation of Prana flow? A user interface, so to speak?
[Processing... Utilizing host's understanding of data structures. Generating 'Prana Flow Schematic - Basic'.]
A new, soft-golden hologram appeared in the center of the circle—a simplified, wireframe model of a human body with glowing lines representing meridians and nodes for chakras.
"Kai," Ash said. "Don't feel it. Watch it. The energy follows these pathways. The Muladhara chakra is the root server. Your mind is the network. Trace the connection."
Kai's eyes snapped open, and he latched onto the schematic like a lifeline. His analytical mind finally had a framework. He watched the flow, memorizing the patterns, understanding the "code" of the energy. He closed his eyes again, and this time, he was visualizing the internal network.
Five minutes later, he let out a sharp breath. "I see it. It's... it's like optimizing a network latency issue. I've established a connection."
[Subject: Kai. Prana sensitivity detected. Affinity: Low-Medium. Aptitude for systemic understanding and theoretical application noted.]
They had all taken the first step. They had felt the spark.
"For the next phase, we move to the Sanctum," Ash announced. "The environment there accelerates learning. The Phantoms I fought are ideal training dummies. They are resistant to conventional attacks but vulnerable to Prana-infused ones."
One by one, they stepped through the portal Ash opened, emerging into the breathtaking, star-filled expanse of the Sanctum of Eternity. The sheer scale and beauty of it left them speechless once more.
"Welcome to your new training ground," Ash said. "Time flows differently here. Ten minutes here is one minute on Earth. We can train for hours without anyone missing us."
He had the Nexus generate a single, Level 1 Phantom on a isolated platform. It was a shifting mass of shadow and red eyes.
"Your objective is not to defeat it," Ash instructed. "Your objective is to hit it. A single, Prana-infused strike. Your conventional attacks will pass through it like smoke."
Silas went first. He charged, his movements a blur of honed muscle memory. He threw a powerhouse punch that would have shattered concrete. His fist went straight through the Phantom's torso, causing it to ripple but dealing no damage. The creature lashed out, its shadowy claw scraping against Silas's A-Rank durability, but a wave of soul-deep cold accompanied the impact, making him grunt and stagger back.
"Chilled to the bone," he reported, his eyes narrowed. "Armor doesn't mean much."
Li Yue was next. She flowed around the Phantom's attacks, her movements elegant and precise. She tried to channel Prana into a palm strike, but the energy flickered and died before making contact. She was forced to retreat, a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. "It's difficult to maintain the flow under pressure."
Aurora stood at a distance, focusing. She formed her hand into a pistol shape, index finger extended. She visualized the cool stream of Prana she had felt, channeling it down her arm and concentrating it at her fingertip. A single, needle-thin beam of silver light shot out, so faint it was barely visible. It struck the Phantom in the shoulder, and a tiny wisp of shadow dissipated. The creature recoiled, screeching in annoyance.
"A hit!" Kai called out, analyzing the result. "Low damage, but confirmed effect. It's susceptible to concentrated energy projection!"
Encouraged, Silas tried again. This time, he didn't just punch. He planted his feet, rooted his stance as Ash had demonstrated, and roared as he drove his fist forward, envisioning the "recoil" of his internal energy exploding outward. His fist didn't glow, but the air around it distorted. His punch landed, and this time, there was a solid THUMP. The Phantom was thrown back several feet, a significant portion of its mass dispersing.
"Direct impact!" Silas yelled, a fierce grin on his face. "It works!"
For the next two subjective hours, they trained. They failed more than they succeeded. Energy fizzled. Strikes missed. The Phantom, though weak, was a disorienting and dangerous opponent. But with each attempt, their control improved. The Nexus provided quiet, real-time feedback to Ash, who relayed corrections.
[Li Yue's channeling efficiency has increased by 7%.]
[Silas is brute-forcing the manifestation. Recommend he refine his control to reduce Chakra cost.]
[Aurora's precision is exceptional, but her output is too low. She must learn to draw from a deeper well.]
[Kai has successfully mapped 60% of the basic meridian network. Theoretical understanding is accelerating practical application.]
They were exhausted, mentally and spiritually drained, but exhilarated. They were touching a power that none of their Awakener peers could even comprehend.
As they gathered back in the command center, the portal closing behind them, the dynamic had shifted once more. They weren't just believers; they were initiates.
"This changes everything," Kai said, his mind already racing. "We need to redesign our equipment. Silas, we can inlay conduits in your armor to enhance Prana flow. Aurora, your bullets... if we can imbue them..."
"One step at a time," Ash said, though he had already commissioned the Nexus to begin such designs. "For now, the priority is personal mastery. We train here, in the Sanctum, every day. We become stronger, not just as a team, but as individuals on a new path."
He looked at his friends, his council, his fellow pioneers. They had felt the spark. Soon, they would wield the flame.
"And while we do," Ash added, a calculated glint in his eye, "we continue our other work. Chronos Industries is still prying. The world still sees a simple E-Rank. Let them. Our shadow grows deeper, and with it, our strength."
The God in the Shadows was no longer alone. He had just empowered his first disciples.