I laid on my back in the captain's bed, chest heaving, Felicity sprawled across me with her damp hair sticking to my skin. Our breath was still tangled, our bodies humming from the last shudder of shared cultivation. The cabin smelled like cotton-candy and spirit-energy, silver blood-flies drifting lazily in the corners.
With a grunt, I slid her sleeping body off me and rose, walking barefoot to the great windows at the stern. The night breeze was cool on my overheated skin, raising goosebumps along my bare arms and legs. I squinted up at the dark horizon—then froze.
"There," I muttered, leaning forward, eyes sharp. "A man… in a fiery chariot. Drawn by horses!"
Felicity sat up on the bed, her voice high with disbelief. "WHAT!? How can you tell from here?" She scrambled after me, sheets tumbling away from her body, not caring about her nakedness as she pressed to my side and tried to follow my gaze.
My lips curled into a knowing smile, though my tone was grave. "Because I'm out there," I answered too quickly. "Er, I mean it's Ashwin out there. He's using Spirit-Man project! He's out there right now, cloaked under the Astral Veil. He's seeing who it is up close."
Felicity blinked, her mouth falling open. Her hand slipped into mine, gripping tight. The reflection of that fiery chariot flickered across her silver eyes.
The morning sun spilled over the Starbite's polished deck, catching every ripple in the hull. Ashriel stood fully armored in Dark Gear, the abyssal runes still pulsing faintly like living veins. Beside him, Felicity bounced in place, her own armor finally manifesting: a sleek, space-age behemoth exo-frame, all sharp angles and aerodynamic lines. Even Ashriel couldn't hide a twinge of envy—its design was absurdly stylish.
"C'mon, slowpoke," Felicity chirped, adjusting the gauntlets of her exo-armor. "Breakfast waits, and I know the Mimic's gotta be done with cooking by now."
I shot her a grin, ducking my head slightly under the hood of the Dark Gear. "Alright, alright, don't pull my leg."
The two of us raced down to the galley for a quick bite, the faint hum of abyssal qi vibrating through my Dark Gear armor set as I moved. We got done with breakfast and went to the top deck, the Soul Furnace Mimic was already stirring, silver bands gleaming in the morning light. Its massive purple tongue flicked out, curling toward the air—and atop it rested a singular, glowing relic: a stylized gold eye.
I lunged for it, anticipation almost pulling me off my feet—but before my fingers could graze the relic, it hovered up Spinning lightly in the dawn breeze.
It hovered, then—almost impatiently—shot forward and merged with my left eye.
A firecracker of sensation erupted in my mind. My left eye—the one that had just merged with the Eye of Heaven—turned a radiant gold. The world tilted, warped, and expanded all at once.
I staggered back, hand going to my face, marveling at what I saw. The air was alive with new colors and texture: individual motes of pollen drifting across the deck, their shapes perfectly defined; the patterns on a butterfly's wings, visible from a hundred meters away; the slow, lazy rotation of distant clouds catching the sunlight differently. Time seemed to stretch. Each heartbeat, each breath, revealed layers of motion I had never noticed.
Felicity leaned in close, her voice a mix of awe and teasing. "Wow...that's insane. You're literally seeing the world in a new dimension now, Lord Ash."
I could barely speak, overwhelmed by the clarity and perception flooding my senses. "It's… unbelievable… every detail… every vibration… I can—"
Even the Mimic seemed to recognize the transformation, letting out a low, satisfied rumble. Purple flames curled along its seams, as if applauding the successful forging of something truly transcendent.
Felicity smirked, crossing her arms, the black sheen in her exo-armor. "Looks like someone just leveled up way past me."
I laughed, half in disbelief, half in exhilaration. "Not even close. Wait until you see what else I can do with this."
The Starbite creaked like a living thing, the golden Eye of Heaven pulsing faintly, a heartbeat of infinite perception—and a promise of power unlike anything we'd faced before.
I looked down at myself, letting the golden glow of the Eye of Heaven sweep over my Dark Gear. Immediately, a translucent, three-dimensional screen shimmered into existence in my vision—rotating and fully interactive. Every plate, every seam, every rune was highlighted, annotated, and pulsing with data I could see.
I took a slow step back, letting the screen rotate around me, overlaying the armor's aura with the environment. Every rune, every enhancement, every synergy was laid bare.
I blinked once, twice, absorbing it all.
The effect of the armor itself was staggering. Aura concealment. On command, my presence could vanish, even under broad daylight. The abyssal qi seemed to dissolve into the air around me, leaving no trace. My movement, my power, my very essence could be masked.
I let my gaze move to the gauntlets. Attack percentage. My strikes would scale with my strength and cultivation level. Every punch, every slash enhanced, no matter the enemy.
My boots came under inspection next. Speed Percentage. I could feel it in my muscles even without moving—the boots amplified my agility and reaction time, layering atop the natural reflexes granted by the Dark Gear.
The Zubons glimmered, their readout: Vitality Percentage. They'd boost my stamina, endurance, and resilience, scaling with my life force.
The Uwagi came next glowing faintly under my gaze: Defense Percentage. My armor absorbed and adapted to blows, turning even heavy strikes into something more negotiable.
Finally, I inspected the helm and faceplate. The window pulsed softly with data. Defense Percentage. Again—my head, my senses, and my perception protected, fortified against both physical and spiritual attacks.
"This… this is incredible," I muttered under my breath. Even compared to what I'd worn before, this set-up wasn't just formidable—it was perfected. Attack, defense, speed, vitality, stealth… every percentage-based stat harmonized with my cultivation level, scaling infinitely.
Felicity leaned over my shoulder, a teasing smirk tugging at her lips. "Marveling at your new toys again, Lord Ash?"
I grinned, my gaze flicking back to her, I could see the subtle currents of her energy as clearly as wind moving through tall grass.
The Eye of Heaven pulsed gently, acknowledging the synchronization, almost like it was pleased with the synergy. I could feel the full potential of the Dark Gear coursing through me, ready to be unleashed.
The early morning calm on the Starbite was shattered by the hurried clatter of hooves in the square. A messenger, clad in the gilded livery, came racing up the gangway, panting but steady.
"Lord Ashriel!" he called, bowing low. "Emperor Ichikawa has arrived! Master Jorun has requested your presence immediately. As per part of the arrangements—" He glanced nervously at the ship's deck, then back at me. "—is that you, personally, present the Tri-Emblem to His Majesty."
I straightened, the weight of the announcement settling in. I thought to myself, " So he finally got here." I could feel the pull of destiny tightening around me again.
"Understood," I said, my voice calm but electric with anticipation. I turned toward the Soul Furnace Mimic. I knelt and extended a hand, channeling my spiritual energy. "Time to go into storage."
The Mimic rumbled low, flames curling lazily along its silver bands, but it obeyed without hesitation. Slowly, I compressed its essence into my Spirit Ring. To my delight, the ring expanded slightly, accommodating its legendary mass. The folded origami hippo atop the ring hummed and pulsed, attuned now to both mine and the Mimic's energy. A grin tugged at my lips. Perfect.
Felicity approached, her Exo Armor catching the morning light, reflecting silvers and subtle purples. She smirked. "Ready to fly, Lord Ash?"
I nodded as I raised my hand, and with a flash my body fragmented, dissolving into a swarm of Silver blood-flies. The sensation was exhilarating—a thousand tiny wings, a thousand tiny bodies, each vibrating in perfect unison. Felicity returned to me, silver light mingling within the swarm.
The air rippled as we surged upward, the Starbite shrinking beneath us. The city, still waking, seemed suspended for a moment in our argent flight. We threaded through the sky, the swarm of our forms moving with precision and purpose, following the invisible threads of my eon qi.
Below us, the docks faded, the seas sparkled, and the distant blacksmith's shop came into view. The air grew thick with anticipation. The Tri-Emblem awaited, Emperor Ichikawa awaited—and I, Ashriel, Lord of the Starbite and master of the Soul Furnace Mimic Forge, was already halfway to meeting both.
I angled the swarm, Felicity in my blood and spiritual dantian again. Together, we streaked toward the blacksmith's shop, a silver red comet of intent slicing across the morning sky.
"Hold tight," I whispered, mostly to myself, though the swarm's energy hummed in acknowledgment. "This day is going to be something else."