《POWER HUNGRY - a Mana Cultivation LitRPG》


 CHAPTER 1: AWAKENING

    The first thing Cale Bishop heard when he woke up from a stupor was a hiss. Then the sharp cold hit him. A shiver racked his body and his first breath was a misty cloud. He did not remember how he got here.


    He did not remember much at all. But he knew a lot of things.


    He knew his name was Cale. He knew he was in a cryopod, designed to put his body in a frozen stasis. He knew what a house cat was. He knew what a chocolate chip cookie was. But what Cale did not know was where he was and how he got here.


    And that filled him with dread.


    Feeling a mounting sense of urgency, Cale struggled up. His limbs felt weak, uncoordinated. When he tried to stand, his knees buckled, and he caught himself against the cryopod''s edge.


    How long was I frozen¡­?


    Cale forced himself upright through sheer will, each movement a goddamn battle with a body that had forgotten how to work properly. He leaned against the cryopod and caught his breath.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he croaked. It hurt to talk. Cale cleared his throat, coughed a little and swallowed. It all hurt, but he could manage. He had bigger fish to fry than a little sore throat. He knew the throat would sort itself out.


    Turns out I know all kinds of things. Why is it that I can''t remember things? And where in the hell am I?


    With lethargic movements Cale crawled out of the cryopod. The steel edge of the pod pressed into his fingers as he leveraged himself out. A stinging cold.


    His heartbeat was slow and so was his mind. Cale looked around, taking in his surroundings. The room was round with a single door leading into a corridor. There was a dim white light that emanated from the ceiling, but Cale could not make out where the light was coming from.


    He was in something of a tomb. The walls were high and made of well cut stone. There were some crumbled murals carved into some of the walls, but time had eaten at them in such a manner that Cale suspected he had been in his pod for a very long time. The floor was made from large cobblestones, the seams filled with a fine petrified sand. All of it covered in a thick layer of dust.


    Cale looked to his right. There were other pods, five in total. His was the leftmost one from the door over yonder. Cale walked over to them. All of them opened, all of them empty. Cale turned to look for further clues in the story to still his racing mind. His unease grew.


    Why am I here?


    On the floor were two skeletons. Human skeletons. One of them was curled up into a fetal position, while the other one had been reaching for something, crawling on the floor. Cale wondered what had been their last thoughts.


    Cale knew those were human bones. From the looks of them the skeletons were mostly intact, but on that particular knowledge Cale¡¯s knowledge was shoddy at best.


    Cale knelt beside the curled skeleton, reaching out but stopping short of touching it. Who had this been? A friend? A brother? Had they been afraid at the end? Alone, like he was now? A lump formed in his throat.


    "Whoever you were," he whispered, "I''m sorry."


    He straightened up, pushing down the hollow feeling in his chest. He was VERY acutely aware that the skeleton on the ground could have easily been him. Unease mixed with the sympathy.


    No time for that. Not if he wanted to avoid joining them. Cale looked around for the next puzzle piece. Even though it fit like a glove, he did not like what he saw.


    The skeletons were next to a machine.


    It was the size of a large dog. Laying on its side, it had two stubby hind legs, a short body, and two over-long arms, like a gorilla¡¯s, which ended in eight nasty claws, still gleaming and sharp as if crafted yesterday. Its face was but a snout with a lens. One of the machine¡¯s long arms was dislocated and it lay a few yards away from the rest of it.


    The machine has a lighter layer of dust on it than the floor. Was there a fight here?


    The other people in the cryopods had been woken from their slumber. But at least two of them had faced this machine while it was still powered and they had died right then and there.


    They were like me¡­ Only, their journey never started.


    A pang of sadness touched Cale. He would have felt much better if he had woken up with someone. Someone to share the confusion and fear with. But he was the last. Last of what, he didn¡¯t know.


    Cale wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but the stakes were clear. His life was in danger. He needed to do something.


    Cale immediately shook the grogginess out of him as adrenaline started rushing in his veins. His senses sharpened and he looked around and listened. His muscles started getting warmer. His heartbeat, earlier a slow, steady pump, was now beating like a frantic drum.


    He listened and moved carefully looking around in the corners and over yonder at the door which revealed nothing but a dark passageway.


    Am I in immediate danger?


    There was no clear answer. There was only darkness and silence.


    This could have happened a year ago or a hundred years ago. I don¡¯t know how fast a corpse decomposes.


    Cale took another look at the murderbot. It looked like the sort you made hundreds of in an assembly line. How did he know what an assembly line was? Great question.


    Cale breathed out slowly, trying to control his fear of the unknown. He needed to move to the dark passageway away from this room. Maybe he would get answers to his many questions there, maybe he would die.


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    It¡¯s not like I have a lot to lose at the end of the day.


    He did the smart thing and picked up the arm of the murderbot. It was heavy and he was frail. He did a few test swings with the arm. It was made of gleaming, well polished metal, with faint blue wiring visible at the joints. It must have weighed at least four pounds, making it an unwieldy, floppy mace. But it was better than nothing.


    Cale took a last wistful look at the chamber. Dark and gloomy, with nothing but a faint light above the cryopods illuminating it. He didn¡¯t know who he was or where he was, let alone why. The creeping dread of those thoughts ran a chill from neck to base of spine.


    Cale looked at the skeleton again. It looked like it had been trying to reach something. Not being able to had cost it everything. Cale wished he wasn¡¯t alone.


    I have to move. I have to go forward. Get out of this tomb.


    With his makeshift weapon brandished, Cale took another deep breath and walked out of the chamber.


    The passageway led promptly to another chamber. Therein in the middle of the room were large control panels with black screens. There was an u-shaped interface on a dais in front of those panels and thin screens of glass. Cale felt some unconscious tug of his mind urge him towards the control panel. He recognized something about this panel. He knew things. That it was there for him. It was a good thing.


    Walking the narrow and dark corridor with seamless stone floor and walls, Cale carefully crept forward, clutching the mechanical arm, watching the shadows. Nothing attacked him, and Cale felt relief. He stepped on the dais and put the murderbot arm down.


    Immediately when he stepped on the dais, lights in the room lit up. The screens flashed alive and strange symbols ran down from top to bottom, like a stream of meaningful nonsense. The whole complex setup started humming and the U-shaped interface in front of Cale lit up with bright blue light.


    ¡°Hello,¡± a serene feminine voice called from nowhere. ¡°Would you like to initiate protocol?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Cale stammered. ¡°What is this? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Please initiate protocol to proceed,¡± the voice only answered. ¡°Place your hands on the panel to scan your biological signature.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ wh¡ª are you conscious? Can you hear me?¡±


    There was no answer. The machine voice only repeated its request to initiate protocol. But Cale¡¯s attention was torn behind him. There was a groaning sound coming from the room with the cryopods. And the distinct screech of metal scratching stone.


    ¡°Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand that the damned murderbot had just woken up when this facility had surged up with power. Cale was too frantically searching for an answer to wonder how the two were connected.


    Cale turned toward the sound of metal scraping against stone. Moments passed, but soon he saw the shadow of a shape shambling down the corridor towards him.


    His heart sank as he saw the murderbot dragging itself into the passageway. Its snout-lens glowed a faint red, scanning left and right, and its remaining arm clawed the ground like a wounded predator. A determined predator.


    Then the red lens locked in on him and the machine stopped in its tracks. Cale felt a flush of cold sweat on his back. His mind went into overdrive as it realized mortal danger.


    There was a moment of silence. Then the machine let out a groan and charged at Cale. It clawed towards him in a ravenous rush. Sparks flew from the claw in the machine¡¯s burst of movement.


    His makeshift weapon¡ªa dismembered arm of the same machine¡ªsuddenly felt utterly useless. Cale discarded it and scrambled backwards, his hands bumping on the interface behind him.


    The feminine voice returned, calm as ever. ¡°Biological signature detected. Cale Bishop. Do you consent to system integration?¡±


    ¡°Consent? What¡ªno! Wait! Stop!¡± he shouted, panicked.


    The murderbot screeched, its body lurching forward. The sound of its claws tearing through stone filled the chamber. Every claw forward left deep gashes in the stone floor. It would reach him in seconds.


    ¡°Consent required to proceed,¡± the voice repeated, clearly oblivious to the frantically crawling death approaching Cale.


    Cale¡¯s fingers curled around the edge of the U-shaped panel. His fight-or-flight instincts screamed at him to do something. He threw a desperate glance at the murderbot, its claws raised for a strike, and then back at the glowing interface.


    ¡°I consent!¡±


    The voice changed, growing softer, almost intimate.


    ¡°Integration commencing. Please remain still.¡±


    The next moment pain lanced through his skull and it felt like a thousand needles stabbing into his brain all at once. After that the pain crawled down his spine like lightning, spreading throughout his body. Cale screamed, completely forgetting the danger surging at him. He tried to pull away, but his body locked in place, rigid and unresponsive, as if captured by a current of electricity.


    The murderbot lunged. Cale watched it screech and leap into the air paralyzed by the interface. He couldn¡¯t even close his eyes as the eight pronged claw came down like judgement¡¯s hammer.


    But it was stopped mid air by an iridescent wall of something. It swirled around in the air, like lightly blue oil on water. The murderbot fell, scrambled up, and attacked again. The claw met the strange substance in the air. The machine tried different angles, but it found no angle for attack.


    The murderbot paused outside the shimmering barrier, the red glow of its lens flickering faintly. It tilted its snout, claws scraping lightly against the stone floor. Then it lunged forward, striking the barrier with a sharp, deliberate jab. The iridescent wall rippled but held firm.


    It didn¡¯t attack again immediately. Instead, it began to pace in a slow skulk, claws clicking against the floor in a rhythmic pattern. Occasionally, it struck the barrier again, testing it. Waiting. Watching.


    ¡°Please do not interrupt the integration process,¡± the feminine voice said serenely, admonishing the murderbot.


    The pain was no longer mounting, but it was still a bitch to endure. Cale managed to get a breath in, which helped. The bizarreness of the situation continued for a while. The murderbot attacked him uselessly while a whole-body-pain surged through him in pulses.


    Gradually the pain waned, and then the feminine voice spoke. But this time Cale didn¡¯t hear it. It was inside his mind.


    ¡°Hello,¡± the voice said. It was feminine, soft and serene, with an inquisitive lilt to it. ¡°I am A.U.R-A//0005¡ªAdaptive Unification Resonance Algorithm.¡±


    Cale took in a breath and tried to relax. The murderbot outside the strange shimmering barrier seemed to have calmed down and was now skulking around, waiting for the barrier to go down.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Cale croaked. ¡°That¡¯s a bit long. How about I just call you Aura?¡±


    ¡°That is a delightful designation, thank you. And who am I designated to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cale. Uh¡­ What are you? What happened? What did I integrate with?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ That is a complicated question, and frankly, I do not have all of the relevant data. I am a multimodular utility tool. The nanobots in which I reside in are my conduit to physical reality, mainly your body. I am mainly a Mana adapter and a conductor, but as you have noticed I also have the distinct advantage of having a mind, so I can be utilized by storing and recalling information, as well as providing feedback.¡±


    Cale glanced at the murderbot. The situation seemed stable now. He had SO many questions.


    ¡°Who made you? Why was I in cryosleep? Where am I and what am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the upbeat, feminine voice in Cale¡¯s head pondered. ¡°I do not have access to all of this information. I seem to have blanks in my database. You were left in a cryopod by a civilization called Nevani. You are a failsafe, but I do not know to what. As for me, I was created for the sole purpose of helping you become said failsafe.¡±¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s circle back to that¡­¡± Cale said, his mind spinning. ¡°You mentioned Mana. Like magic?¡±


    ¡°Complicated, complicated. Yes, I am essentially a magic conductor. See that machine with the claws over there. It is also fueled by Mana. When you turned on this facility, the dormant ambient Mana was stirred, and the machine was able to siphon enough of it.¡±


    ¡°You know what that is?¡± Cale said gesturing towards the murderbot. ¡°Was it made by whoever made you and the cryopods?¡±


    ¡°I do know what that is!¡± Aura said, positively delighted with herself. ¡°This is a design made by the entity that led to the destruction of Nevani civilization. This is a Tier-1 unit. It was made to kill cultivators. Low level ones, such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Tier-1?¡± Cale asked. ¡°You mean there¡¯s more of these things?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Aura replied cheerfully. ¡°There are many tiers.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡± Cale muttered. ¡°Next topic. Cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Look.¡± Aura said and a cyan rectangle materialized in the air in front of Cale.


    [Mana Cultivation Power Level: 0]


    [Mana Pool: N/A]


    [Advancement Stage: Body Tempering 1]


    [A.U.R.A Skills: N/A]


    There were plenty of other stats that made no sense to Cale, and he told Aura that much.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Aura said, but Cale swore he heard a disappointed sniff in his mind. ¡°You will learn. The reality of Mana Cultivation is a fairly complex topic, and the three primary ways of measuring it are displayed at the top of the interface. This is merely my method of keeping track of your progression, you need not worry about it overmuch.¡±


    ¡°How about I worry about it when the timing is better,¡± Cale said and nudged his head towards the murderbot, which was prowling a few yards away.


    ¡°Yes, about that,¡± Aura said. ¡°The protective barrier that prevented intervention during integration is going to dissipate in fifteen seconds. I suggest you prepare yourself to drain this machine of its Mana.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen se¡ª Wait, I can do that? I don¡¯t know how to do that!¡±


    ¡°Then you will die.¡±


    Cale''s hands trembled against the interface. He''d just woken up. Just started to exist again. And now he had to fight for the right to keep existing.


    "Tell me what to do," Cale said, alarmed. "How do I survive this?¡±


    The barrier flickered. The murderbot tensed, metal joints creaking as it prepared to lunge.


    Ten seconds¡­


    ¡°Hmph, fine,¡± Aura said, as if peeved. ¡°Listen¡­¡±

 CHAPTER 2: FIRST TASTE

    Aura gave Cale as succinct an explanation on how to drain mana as possible. Cale repeated it aloud. That was the end of it. Or the beginning. The deciding moment.


    No second chances.


    No do-overs.


    If he failed, he would die. And not pleasantly. Being ripped apart by a murderbot was not a life-goal of his.


    Cale exhaled. Resolved. He couldn¡¯t quite push the fear down. But he could work through it.


    ¡°You have trace amounts of naturally accumulated mana inside you,¡± Aura said. ¡°I am going to use it.¡±


    Cale didn¡¯t understand or care what any of that meant. He nodded and waited to see how his fate would play out.


    The shimmering barrier around him flickered¡ªthen vanished.


    The murderbot raised its head.


    It didn¡¯t think or hesitate. It lunged immediately.


    Cale was already moving. His body responded like it had been waiting for this. Faster reflexes. Sharper senses. He saw it coming¡ªsaw the way its shoulders shifted before the strike, the slight pivot of its frame.


    He juked left, pivoted hard, and kicked off the ground. The boost of power Aura had given him sent him skidding back just in time for the razor-edged limb to carve through the space where his ribs had been.


    It moved again, pressing the attack relentlessly.


    Cale wove through the next two strikes, barely an inch to spare. Sparks flew as claws screeched across the stone.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Cale muttered, chest rising and falling.


    ¡°Good one!¡± Aura chirped. ¡°But augmenting your mental capabilities and senses costs mana, and frankly, we do not have a lot of it. You need to execute the plan.¡±


    Cale grunted. No more playing defense.


    The thing reoriented, head snapping toward him, red optics gleaming. Calculating. Adjusting.


    Cale rushed the severed clawed arm. He scooped it up without breaking stride, spinning it once in his grip. It had felt heavy before. Now it was a weapon he could wield. He dodged backwards an overhead slash from the murderbot and hoisted the murderbot arm on his shoulder like a police baton.


    ¡°Can you augment my strength?¡±


    ¡°Most definitely,¡± Aura said. ¡°But these are the last dregs of mana we have. You need to drain it.¡±


    Then I can¡¯t afford to waste this.


    The murderbot lunged.


    Cale¡¯s legs coiled with power. He met its charge head-on.


    A flicker of movement. A flash of metal. The murderbot lunged. Cale dodged sideways and pivoted on his foot. He twisted his upper body and swung the severed arm like a bat.


    The impact crashed like thunder, echoing off the walls of the dark chamber.


    The murderbot¡¯s snout-like head whipped sideways from the blow, metal crumpling on impact. Its body staggered and slammed into the ground with a satisfying explosion of sparks. But it wasn¡¯t enough to end the threat. The murderbot was already getting up.


    Cale moved without hesitation. Driven by fear, adrenaline and a ravenous, greedy will to survive. The mana augmenting his body didn¡¯t hurt either.


    He vaulted over its flailing body, slammed a foot onto its still-attached arm, and drove the clawed limb he held against its throat.


    The thing screeched and thrashed.


    Cale held on for dear life.


    The reinforced strength Aura had given him was fading fast. His limbs trembled from the strain. The machine¡¯s servos whined, its metal body twisting beneath him like a trapped animal. Cale needed to act now.


    He focused.


    He traced the energy pulsing through him¡ªthe last dregs of mana in his muscles. Then, he pushed his awareness outward. A sixth sense spread from his body.


    He felt it.


    A core.


    Deep inside the murderbot¡¯s chest.


    Not mechanical. Something else. Magic? A dense and vibrant blue orb. A raw battery of power thrummed inside the machine¡¯s frame.


    Cale reached for it with the sixth sense.


    And yanked.


    The effect was instant.


    The murderbot spasmed violently. Its limbs twitched, metal plating locking up. A harsh, digitized screech tore from its speakers as its strength drained away. It¡¯s movements slowed and the red lens on its snout flickered rapidly.


    Cale inhaled power.


    It burned. Fierce. Chaotic. Overwhelming.


    His head spun. His heart slammed in his chest like it wanted out. His muscles lapsed for just an instant. The murderbot fought for space, And Cale tried to take it. His legs screamed with a lactic agony.


    Cale gritted his teeth. He forced himself to hold on. The pain was exquisite.


    ¡°You are out of mana!¡± Aura said urgently. ¡°Hold you fool!¡±


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    Holding on to his life, fighting the aggressive surge of mana inside him, Cale drew in more, despite his mind screaming at him. His physical body was a wracked bundle of agonized nerves. He could not hold on for much longer. The pain was mounting to eye-watering levels. But Cale squeezed and felt like his biceps were going to snap like twigs.


    The red optics of the machine flickered weakly.


    Then¡ªdimmed.


    The machine body went limp.


    Silence.


    Cale gasped. His limbs shook violently. His muscles felt like they were going to tear apart from the inside. The mana he had drained fought him like a rabid wolf. Cale fell on his knees and tried to breathe.


    ¡°Quickly now,¡± Aura said, calm and clinical despite everything. ¡°You need to cultivate this mana before it burns a hole in you. I can discharge it if it gets to be too much, but it¡¯s better if you absorb it.¡±


    Cale forced his breath steady.


    Right. He wasn¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°How do I¡ª gah¡ª How do I do that?¡± Cale asked between labored breaths. Sweat was beading on his forehead at an alarming rate as he fell from atop the murderbot. He struggled to get back up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up, you fool. Sit down. Not like that, Cross-legged. Good. Now put your hands on your lap. Exhale. Inhale. Slowly now. Don¡¯t try to subdue the Mana. If you try to force it down, it will only hurt you. Invite it to settle with you. Calm it. Breathe rhythmically. Deeply now. In¡­. Out¡­¡±


    Cale listened to Aura¡¯s instructions. Every instinct he had wanted to force the energy down, or just vomit it out. But he resolved to listen and endure. So he breathed. It took a while, but slowly the Mana started to calm down. What was a boiling and bubbling lightning in a bottle, struggling like a violent tiger, was starting to slowly cool down.


    ¡°Good. Just so. You¡¯re a natural. What you are doing is attuning the Mana. It was attuned to the murderbot, and you had no resonance with it. In a word, you were incompatible with the Mana.


    ¡°Uhhuh,¡± Cale said during an exhale. Focusing on attuning the Mana and listening was straining him. ¡°How do I get control of it?¡±


    ¡°You need to breathe with it. It is not attuned to you. You need to harmonize yourself with it. Attune yourself and the mana to the same frequency. Then it is yours to use.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Cale muttered. ¡°Magic breathing. Got it.¡±


    ¡°It is not¡ª¡± Aura started in an indignant splutter. Then she hummed thoughtfully. ¡°No, yes. That¡ª That is an apt description.¡±


    Cale worked with the mana. It was a roiling thundercloud inside him, but soon enough he managed to get it to circle around his solar plexus in a singular mass. It was purely gaseous, like an explosive cloud. But the more Cale worked with it, breathed with it, the more ¡®solid¡¯ the gas seemed to transform. Soon enough the exploding mass was circling around his solar plexus slowly.


    Oh, it was still fighting, but now Cale understood what was required of him.


    ¡°This is actually something very advanced you¡¯re doing. I assumed I would have to discharge at least 80% of the Mana you absorbed. You¡¯ve got most of it under control. Considering you have no cultivation experience, this is quite astounding.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aura said. ¡°I only facilitate. I have a lot of functions, many of which are still unknown to me, but I can not attune Mana for you. I can discharge it to protect you, but I can not manipulate it for you.¡±


    ¡°Feels good to be good at something,¡± Cale said and allowed himself a proud smile.


    ¡°Now, let us see if you are equally apt at cultivating the Mana!¡± Aura said, a giddy excitement overflowing in her voice.


    Slowly, Cale opened his eyes and wiped his sweaty hands on the white jumpsuit he was wearing. He leaned back against his straightened hands. The Mana that was now swirling inside of him in a slow and steady circular motion stirred, like a sudden wave in a still water, but Cale focused on it and breathed it under his control again.


    ¡°Now we get to the fun part!¡± Aura announced gleefully. ¡°You have attuned mana inside you. Now you can improve yourself. We start from the bottom of cultivation. Recompositioning your body. We can infuse your muscle-, joint-, fascial-, and skeletal tissue with it to make you more durable and strong. It will basically increase your physical capabilities to superhuman levels.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Cale said. ¡°I like that. I want a murderbot-proof skin.¡±


    ¡°That will take quite a bit of Mana and Cultivation to go along with it. But eventually yes. There is a lot of technical knowledge to this, much of which I am trying to dig up from my database as we go, but I¡¯ll give you the quick and dirty of it to get us going.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the quick and dirty type,¡± Cale said and chuckled. ¡°More like the prim and proper type.¡±


    Aura definitely huffed in Cale¡¯s mind. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I am a dignified and ancient magical superintelligence. I¡¯ll be prim and I¡¯ll be dirty when and where I please!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Cale said. ¡°Just give me the cliffnotes.¡±


    ¡°The cliff-what?¡±


    ¡°The uhh, quick and dirty version, o¡¯ wise one.¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± she said, immensely pleased with herself. ¡°I like that. The basics are fairly simple. You only need to infuse your body with the power you have tamed. You should be able to absorb the mana into your body. But before you can do that, we need to establish your mana pool. It is a one time process. Your first breakthrough. Once you do that, it will grow along your cultivation.¡±


    ¡°What should I do to create a mana pool?¡±


    ¡°What a wonderful question! I am so happy you are listening. What you need to do is clear your mind and get back into an optimal cultivation position.¡±


    Cale sat up straight again in a cross-legged position. He straightened his back, closed his eyes and rested his hands on his lap. There was an eagerness building up inside of him. He was accruing power. He wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted to do once he got out of this tomb, but he wanted to be as ready and able to do that once the opportunity arose.


    ¡°Alright. What next?¡±


    ¡°Cultivation is a very visual art. Or at least that is what we will start with. If you happen to not be a visual person, we¡¯ll create workarounds. Now, I want you to picture the Mana within you that you managed to attune. It should be swirling inside you, yes, I can measure it, there it is. I want you to start slowly condensing it. Let it swirl into a tighter and tighter ball and keep compressing it until you feel something¡­ solid.¡±


    It was difficult. There was no pain, no strain, but it required absolute focus. Cale zoned in as best as he could, but sometimes a stray thought would invade the process. What if another murderbot came? Who was he? Could he trust Aura?


    Every time a question like this arose, his control of the Mana slipped and a small amount of it burst out of the condensed space he was trying to create. The Mana inside of him felt like a liquid and a gas at the same time. Aura provided a rhythm for him to breathe and told him when to slow down and when to speed up. As the process got further, he needed less and less instruction. It was very intuitive. It felt like Cale was made for this. Hell, for all he knew, he could be. But that didn¡¯t stop him from enjoying the process. The unadulterated process of accruing power.


    After a good while he felt it. He was packing the Mana into his solar plexus into as dense a ball as he could. Then he felt something flash cold and then hot inside of him, The hotness dissipated, but a warmth spread into his extremities, and his skin flushed. Hot sweat was dripping off his damp hair on his hands. Cale breathed and sank into the feeling, pressing his consciousness on the balled up Mana.


    It solidified.


    He could feel it. A tiny blue bead in his abdomen. It had a space inside of it. Most of the Mana was still swirling around it. Cale concentrated and pulled into the space inside the bead. The Mana around the core swirled and sucked into the space, filling him with energy.


    In a moment of excitement he exploded on his feet.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Cale pumped a fist in the air! ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°You did!¡± Aura cheered, eager to join his joy. ¡°You managed to create your mana pool!¡±


    Cale smiled. His first victory. It felt good. It felt right.


    Not only did he defeat a deadly murderbot, but he also overcame himself. He stayed in the struggle, and that was an empowering feeling.


    That victory gave him respite from all the confusion, all the fear, all the loneliness, that he felt. He knew for damn sure, that there was at least one thing that was going his way. And he wanted more. A dark greed flickered inside of him.


    Cale leaned into it. It pushed away the fear. The greed was bold and pushed him forward. The greed had kept him alive. The greed was good.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find more murderbots,¡± Cale said and wiped blood off the side of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m getting a taste for this.¡±

 CHAPTER 3: VENTURE FORWARD

    ¡°Show it to me again,¡± Cale said as he walked along the dark corridors.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Aura huffed, and a blue rectangle materialized in front of Cale¡¯s vision. He looked at it and smiled.


    [Mana Cultivation Power Level: 1]


    [Mana Pool: 1]


    [Advancement Stage: Body Tempering 1]


    [A.U.R.A Skills: N/A]


    Cale reveled in the one. One. One step taken. One step on a journey to something great. What it was, who could say? But Cale was ready for it.


    The difference between a one and a zero is the difference between eating and being eaten.


    Cale shook a fist in triumph and smiled.


    ¡°Need I remind you of the arduous journey ahead you have as a Cultivator?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly why I¡¯m enjoying the ever-living damn out of this,¡± Cale said. ¡°I know it won¡¯t last and things will only get harder.¡±


    Cale walked along the corridors of the dark tomb. There was a white light coming from the ceiling, but it was dim. However, after forming a Mana core, all of his senses were heightened. He felt more awake, more alert, more sharp in every way. Cale had asked Aura if she was augmenting his perception somehow, but she remarked haughtily that she would not waste Mana on something so menial.


    Cale was dragging the murderbot arm behind him, and it clinked softly as he walked. He hoped to find a weapon that would make him feel more secure soon, but it was better than nothing. Being armed made him feel a smidge safer.


    I¡¯m still carrying this fear. I know it''s natural. Humans are supposed to feel afraid in a situation like this. But it is holding me back.


    Cale tried to focus on his surroundings. The Nevani were clearly master craftsmen. The walls were all seamless as if made from concrete, or conjured from thin air for all Cale knew. The walls were high and the roof wasn¡¯t visible, but a pale light shone down.


    The tomb was simple, and there were not many rooms. Cale checked a few of them, but they seemed to be warehouses and sleeping quarters long abandoned. There were no cryopods, no strange technology and fortunately no murderbots.


    ¡°What do you think this place was?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°I need not think, for I know,¡± Aura answered smugly. ¡°This was a research facility turned into a bunker. This ruins was one of the last bastions of the Nevani. I was one of the last successful technology they managed to create. Needless to say that I am the pinnacle of creation. And beauty. And grace!¡±


    ¡°Truly, truly,¡± Cale said distractedly as he looked around in the darkness, listening for threats. He didn¡¯t hear anything, so he interrupted Aura¡¯s descriptions of the wonders of the Nevani technology, namely herself. He had a question that had been pressing his mind ever since he woke up.


    ¡°Who am I, Aura?¡±


    Cale could feel a stir in his mind, like a single sad chord faintly played. ¡°I do not know exactly. I know suitable individuals were found to merge with us. But the Nevani were¡­ not like you. You are not from this realm, Cale. You were brought here from a place with another sun.¡±


    Cale nodded to himself. He was feeling something, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to name it. There was some anger. He had been thrust into this situation and suddenly made to fight for his life. He didn¡¯t ask for any of this.


    I guess I got lucky, unlike the other four¡­


    That mixed into the feeling. Mostly it was sadness. But what kind of sadness, Cale inquired. Loneliness. He was a stranger in a strange land. And those other people who had slept next to him for who knows how long? Centuries? Millennia? Had they been his supposed companions. Was the plan for him to have friends and comrades?


    Well, that was never realized.


    ¡°We need to keep moving,¡± Cale said quietly. ¡°Step one. Find murderbots to murder and get more power, so I don¡¯t have to feel so damn scared all the time. Step two. Get out of this damn tomb.¡±


    *


    ¡°Shh!¡± Aura hissed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying anything,¡± Cale muttered.


    ¡°Can you sense it?¡±


    No, he couldn¡¯t. But admitting that outright, might give the damned little thing too much satisfaction. So Cale extended his Mana sense. It was a tingling thing in his core. He directed it outwards from his body. Cale imagined a sphere of faint blue light that extended in every direction. He pushed the sphere, expanding the diameter a few yards, before it popped like a balloon.


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    Damn it.


    ¡°Stop wasting Mana,¡± Aura said. ¡°There is a tier-1 murderbot in the next room. This one was also awakened by you turning on the facility. It was dormant, and has a lot more Mana than the previous broken one. Approach with caution.¡±


    Cale nodded. He knew what to do. And now he was that much stronger. He would use the same tactic as before. Pin the damn machine down and drain it. He gave a few test swings of his arm-club and found the swooshing satisfactory. He crept towards the doorway to listen.


    There was a faint clicking behind the door, as well as a low hum of a motor. Cale peeked carefully around the corner and saw a murderbot pacing around. This one had stubby legs as the first one, but instead of clawed hands, it had two long chainsaws with sharp blue edges that shone in the dim light. The red lens on its snout was looking this way and that, and Cale ducked behind the corner just in time.


    Cale wanted help, but dared not speak. Instead he wrote on the wall with his finger: Plan?


    Turns out I can write too. Huh, that¡¯s convenient.


    ¡°This one will have significantly more combat power than the previous damaged one. Because of the chainsaw appendages instead of claws, it is slower and clumsier, but much stronger. You are likely to die in a direct confrontation, as you are tier zero, and this model is designed to defeat, or at least go toe to toe against tier one cultivators.¡±


    Cale nodded and impatiently gestured with his hands for Aura to continue.


    ¡°The goal is draining its Mana. The strategy must form around it. The strategy must consider your power disadvantage. You need tactics that give you an advantage. Surprise attack, a trap, a distraction.¡±


    Cale peeked inside the room and thought again. It was a small and simple room, with crumbled rubble from ancient times on the floor. There were two doorways. One by which Cale was at, and one at the opposite side of the room, leading further into the ruins.


    He had the murderbot arm as a club. Cale¡¯s instincts said that if he tried to fend off direct attacks from the murderbot, it would likely just cut his weapon in half. So he needed to go on full offense.


    Strike first, strike hard¡­


    ¡°Do you have a plan? I could provide some more amazing insights.¡±


    Cale brought a finger to his mouth and silently shushed Aura. She definitely huffed this time in his mind.


    I think they do have one clear weakness though¡­


    Cale quickly peeked inside. The murderbot was still pacing, now looking at the doorway on the opposite side of the room. He could rush its back now. But Cale was ten paces away and the murderbot would surely hear him and have time to react.


    Instead Cale crept backwards and looked around. He found some rubble close behind him. After rummaging through the pile, he found a few suitably sized rocks. He snuck back to the doorway and threw one rock inside. It sent distinct echoes in the silence of the ruins as it clattered on the floor.


    The murderbot groaned in an almost questioning manner. Cale could hear it slowly approach the rock. The hum of its Mana engine got stronger and Cale could even sense faint Mana signatures with his strange sixth sense.


    The murderbot moved quietly but Cale could sense it getting closer to the doorway. They were not stupid. The machine knew the rock had to have come somewhere.


    Cale threw another rock, bigger this time. He lobbed it perpendicular to the doorway. It thunked loudly a few yards yonder.


    The murderbot groaned again, now much more sure. It rushed towards the sound, and its chainsaws roared into action.


    When it galloped through the doorway, Cale was waiting. Like a baseball bat, he swung with all his might with the mechanical arm, holding it from its wrist. The thickest end of the ripped out arm crashed right into the murderbot¡¯s red lens. It shattered and went dim. The murderbot groaned with anger and started thrashing around, waving the long chainsaws in deadly arcs.


    Cale immediately ran away further back to the pile of rubble to pick up some more rocks, while the murderbot was still in a fit of rage and confusion. He crouched still, holding rocks in both hands while he watched and waited.


    ¡°Well done!¡± Aura chimed. ¡°I would have of course suggested this course of action, but I just wanted to see if you would come to the same conclusion¡­¡±


    Cale rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Now you have a choice. Do you want to creep past it, or drain it for its Mana?¡±


    For Cale, he realized, there was no question. The dark greed flickered inside him. He wanted the Mana. He wanted that feeling again, that rush of power that was his to wield. He wanted a win.


    He threw another rock, lobbing it over the murderbot, which was still attacking ghosts, but in a much more composed manner. It must have felt the wind of the rock pass it, as it tried to swing upwards at it.


    Fast.


    But instead of turning to follow the sound of the rock clattering behind it, the murderbot turned towards where the trajectory had come from ¡ª Directly at Cale.


    It rushed wildly towards him, the chainsaw buzzing and swinging down in an arc. Cale dodged and felt a slight drain of Mana as Aura enhanced his senses. The murderbot swung both of its chainsaws outwards around it. Cale ducked and threw his handful of rocks in the air. The rocks scattered in all four winds, clattering this way and that, completely confusing the murderbot. It groaned and started thrashing around in wild swings of its weapons. Meanwhile Cale skulked back towards the arm on the floor near the doorway.


    Cale felt the rush of adrenaline and fear throbbing in his mind. His senses were sharper due to the danger and cultivation. He was so deeply, acutely here that it was almost overwhelming. His heavy and deep breathing. Every single of his heartbeats. Every shift of weight from the murderbot he could sense. Every small pebble under his foot as he moved.


    The energy of his emotions almost overwhelmed him. Strongest of them all was an intense, cold fear. Almost instinctively, Cale reached for it. He breathed it in, let it wash over him. It changed. Morphed into something under his will.


    Cale shuddered as he breathed. Closed his eyes and felt energized. The fear was still there. But it had changed direction. It was not pushing him backwards anymore. He was not cowering.


    It is pushing me forward.


    It was no longer fear. It was thrill.


    I¡¯m having fun¡­


    As he rushed inside the room he tapped the doorway with the murderbot arm.


    The murderbot was not stupid. Immediately when it entered the room, it attacked. It swung sideways in a violent smashing arc with both of his hands, shaking the room when its weapons crashed into the wall.


    But Cale had already observed the murderbots learned. He was one step ahead. And the murderbot was wide open. Cale had been standing a few paces back in front of the doorway. All the while, he had been gathering a storm.


    He had called power from his Mana pool , breathing it in, infusing him. It energized him. Every muscle felt fuller, stronger, faster. Cale was ready.


    After the murderbot swung at its sides, he went for it.


    Cale smashed with all his might at the murderbot¡¯s head in an overpowering overhead swing. The murderbot arm struck his foe right in the dome, with such a force that it shattered the arm, sending metal flying in every direction.


    The murderbot groaned and stumbled. It swung clumsily forward. Cale sidestepped and push-kicked the wobbling machine. It crashed eight feet into the wall. Cale tackled into it, shoulder first, grabbing and pinning down the arms. The murderbot struggled, but Cale could put all his weight against the blades, pushing at them from their flat sides against the murderbot itself. It tried to activate its blades, but it only cut into itself.


    Cale started to drain it as Aura frantically instructed him. The murderbot¡¯s strength was waning. Cale drank in the power.


    The mana was unstable and fought him, but it gave him a rush like nothing else. Soon that power would be tamed and it would be his.


    Finally the murderbot died down. It twitched one last time and went limp. Cale inhaled. The rush of winning, and the storm of unstable Mana inside of him pounding his whole being.


    It felt amazing.


    ¡°Stop lollygagging and Cultivate this Mana before you vomit it out!¡± Aura snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lollygagging, I¡¯m dilly-dallying,¡± Cale said, struggling with words, as he attempted to control the boiling Mana.


    ¡°Why¡ª you¡ª Argghhh.¡±


    Cale chuckled as Aura huffed angrily. He sat down and began to cultivate. It was time to power up.

 CHAPTER 4: FACTIONS

    Cale sat down with a storm inside his belly. This one raged with a fury deeper than the first, broken murderbot had. The Mana kept breaking out of control, and a great nausea and an urge to vomit passed over Cale. A part of his instincts told him to discharge some of the Mana.


    ¡°I can discharge a third of it,¡± Aura suggested.


    Cale only shook his head. He would push through his nausea. He was too greedy to let go of a third of this boundless potential. And so he focused and pushed through. It was hard, but he already had some experience.


    He knew what to do. Just because it was difficult wasn¡¯t going to stop him.


    Cale could feel how eagerly his body was waiting for the next injection of power, but there was a large chunk of work to do. The Mana churned as an incoherent mess, lashing out this way and that, surging and swelling with raw chaos for its engine.


    Bit by bit, Cale brought order into that chaos. Slowly a swirling cloud emerged from the storm, and when it settled to circle around his core, Cale started to suck it in with a steady flow.


    Gradually the misty, almost gaseous form that Cale visualized the Mana as started to liquify around his pebble of a Mana pool. It was still mostly gaseous, but clearly the next stage of refinement would be to turn it liquid. Cale was wondering if squeezing that gas to pack together was going to give him an aneurysm.


    One thing was certain. Cultivation was hard work.


    The focus required was staggering. If Cale let his concentration slip even a little bit, the mana would try to burst out violently. Cale stayed in the fight, kept breathing. He felt exhaustion seeping into his psyche. He still had work to do and he wouldn¡¯t let any of the energy go to waste.


    ¡°Your mana pool is empty. You can drain it in, since the Mana is already attuned to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cale said. He breathed out and the slowly turning energy around his pool got sucked in. Cale waited and felt that the Mana settled in.


    Cale carefully stood up, keeping his mind on his solar plexus where his Mana pool was. The Mana seemed stable. He moved around and found that keeping the Mana inside the pool was effortless. Then he pulled carefully pulled a strand of Mana from it. It surged upwards through his core to his shoulder and settled on the palm of his hand.


    A tingling sensation, a warmth and the faintest blue emanation was visible on his hand. It dissipated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste it!¡±


    ¡°I need to learn to control it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to develop your Mana circuitry to do that efficiently.¡±


    ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot like that. But better. And with a lick of thought into it,¡± Aura said.


    ¡°Next time then,¡± Cale said. ¡°How¡¯s my Mana pool looking?¡±


    ¡°A bit more than nothing,¡± Aura said dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re about as powerful as a lawn mower.¡±


    ¡°A magical lawn mower,¡± Cale said immediately.


    He could have sworn that Aura tittered.


    ¡°Can I see my¡ª thanks.¡±


    Mid-sentence, a floating rectangle with a bunch of data appeared in front of him, giving him a numerical representation of his cultivation power.


    [Mana Cultivation Power Level: 1]


    [Mana Pool: 4]


    [Advancement Stage: Body Tempering 1]


    [A.U.R.A Skills: N/A]


    ¡°So there are four units of mana inside my mana pool now?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Yes. I am oversimplifying it to make it easy for you to comprehend.¡±


    ¡°Appreciated.¡±


    ¡°How do I increase my cultivation power?¡±


    ¡°By advancing,¡± Aura said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°You need to give your body mana and it will reinforce itself. With each step in advancement, you will become stronger.¡±


    ¡°How many steps are there?¡± Cale asked as he slumped against a wall, catching his breath. The floor felt cold, but that was nice.


    ¡°Cultivation is a long journey,¡± Aura said. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on Body Tempering first. There are nine stages, three for each layer. Lower, Middle and Upper Body Tempering. Beyond that is Mana Circuitry.¡±


    ¡°So if I¡¯m as powerful as a lawn mower,¡± Cale said pensively. ¡°How powerful is someone at Mana Circuitry?¡±


    ¡°The difference between a full tier of cultivation advancement is the difference between a candle and a campfire.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ I better get my ass to work then,¡± Cale muttered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aura said primly. ¡°But I do suggest you rest a while. You are much less efficient in combat  if you are fatigued mentally and physically, and if you die because of that, it would inconvenience me greatly.¡±


    ¡°Is this amount of mana enough to increase my cultivation?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ It is,¡± Aura admitted. ¡°The difference between Body Tempering one and Body tempering two is miniscule. Cultivation becomes exponentially harder with each advancement, which makes the initial ones easier. Body composition gives children some challenge, but adults will find it easier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll advance then. It will give us a better chance dealing with the murderbots.¡±


    ¡°But your fatigue¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll push through.¡±


    Cale breathed and called the mana from his pool. It was already attuned, but Cale worked it a bit more, trying to condense it. That seemed to be the key. The mana was initially gaseous, and attuning it made it seem like liquid. Beyond that it could even possibly turn solid as far as Cale knew. Now it was a misty gas.


    Cale worked on it to turn it into something more solid, but soon the strain was too much. His control was slipping.


    ¡°This is enough. Release the mana into your body. It will naturally absorb it.¡±


    Cale did that and relaxed. It felt amazing. He was at the end of his rope.


    He observed the mana as it spread throughout his body. To his muscles, tendons, bones, internal organs and skin.


    Something shifted. His fatigue receded ever so slightly. He felt stronger, more alert. Better. Just overall better.


    ¡°You did it!¡± Aura said happily. ¡°You¡¯re second stage!¡±


    ¡°Show me,¡± Cale said immediately.


    [Mana Cultivation Power Level: 2.2]


    [Mana Pool: 0.4]


    [Advancement Stage: Body Tempering 2]


    [A.U.R.A Skills: N/A]


    ¡°Nice,¡± Cale said and squeezed a victorious fist. ¡°And I still have some mana left.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your focus was quite impressive,¡± Aura said. ¡°Do note that you can also call mana back from your body, but you are essentially going into cultivation debt. You won¡¯t decrease a rank, but you will need to work extra hard to make up for using your natural mana reserves. Sometimes it has to be done, but try to avoid it.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Cale said and slumped against the wall, satisfied with his work.


    ¡°Now for the love of my creators and all that is beautiful, mainly me: Please rest, Cale!¡±


    Cale chuckled at that and nodded. He closed his eyes and just breathed in the cool air of the tomb. Cale could feel the advancement in his body immediately. The aches from his battles were waning and there was a distinct increase in overall energy. Cale felt powerful. The kind of martial artist powerful who screams and breaks bricks with his forehead. How Cale got that image in his head was anybody¡¯s guess.


    But the greed inside him was satisfied. For now. Cale relaxed.


    ¡°Hey, Aura,¡± Cale eventually said.


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    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°These murderbots. How powerful are they compared to a lawn mower?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re designed to group up and slaughter tier 1 cultivators. I would say their power level ranges between twenty to twenty five.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I only getting so little power out of them?¡± Cale asked. ¡°Are we missing something?¡±


    ¡°What are you insinuating?¡± Aura asked with a shrill voice. ¡°I will have you know, I am a Special-grade Mana attuning device. You will not find anything superior than I!¡±


    ¡°Then what gives?¡±


    ¡°You of course,¡± Aura said. ¡°You¡¯re barely capable of containing the Mana. You are burning through a lot of Mana to keep what you have under control.¡±


    ¡°Oh..?¡± Cale muttered. ¡°So I¡¯m using up some of the Mana to attune it?¡±


    ¡°How else would you be able to control it?¡± Aura sniffed.


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m burning four to five units of Mana to cultivate one?¡±


    ¡°Give or take.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unacceptable.¡±


    ¡°My point exactly,¡± Aura said with an exasperated sigh. ¡°That is the equivalent of using a tier two Mana attuner. Look, I have it catalogued in your statistics.¡±


    A blue floating rectangle appeared in Cale¡¯s vision. From the list of different statistics, one specific one was bolded and brought up to next to the base stats that Cale understood.


    [Mana Attunement efficiency: 20.8%]


    ¡°This is an average. Sometimes when you¡¯re focused it is around 23-25 percent. When you¡¯re sloppy, it is around 17-18.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡± Cale muttered. ¡°How do I get better?¡±


    ¡°How about we first get you out of here alive? That kind of training will take time. The reason you are using Mana inefficiently, is because you are stuffing it in like you¡¯re starving.¡±


    ¡°Seemed like the natural thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Quite so. But I must admit I find it appalling.¡±


    ¡°Now that I know better¡­ you and me both, Aura.¡±


    Aura said nothing, but Cale could feel the swell of joy inside him, as the magical AI recognized her new name.


    ¡°Remind me to deal with the Mana inefficiency later. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Cale got up and dusted his jumpsuit off. The ruins were eerily quiet, but Cale was sure there would be more fighting ahead. He was tired, but the surge of increased strength from advancing made him excited.


    I¡¯m actually looking forward to the next fight.


    The next half an hour went by in careful silence. Cale used his stored up Mana sparingly, but he was learning to control his Mana sense. So far he didn¡¯t sense anything in any corner, lurking in wait of an ambush. And neither did Aura.


    Slowly they made their way through a main corridor sloping upwards. It went up for a mile with nothing but a dim white light emanating from the high ceiling. Cale followed the tunnel until he reached a large chamber. The tunnel opened into a wide balcony overlooking a large circular chamber below. The balcony itself was carved from the same stone as the rest of the facility, offering a hidden vantage point.


    From his perch, Cale could see the chamber below clearly. It was wide and carved circular. The other end further away began with a bridge that stretched over an endless darkness into the yonder. On the other end was a large door with intricate carving upon it.


    There were four people in the room. Three of them clearly from the same faction, judging from their equipment. But another figure walked first towards the door, without a care in the world, as if they were on a summer stroll.


    ¡°These are cultivators!¡± Aura squealed excitedly. ¡°Pay attention.¡±


    Cale nodded. He needed not be told twice. He leaned over the perch eyes focused, not willing to let go of a single detail.


    The one walking first was an exceptionally tall man of athletic build and wavy black hair. He was wearing a fine black suit with reinforced shoulders of sleek silver. Thin pinstripes of silver ran down his well tailored suit and a white shirt and a silk vest with a red tie completed the sophisticated look. He strode in a tall confident gait of even pace toward a massive stone door, idly swinging a large, closed umbrella in his other hand, spinning it as easily as he smiled to himself, as if he knew an important secret.


    Behind him followed a retinue. There were two skulking men in combat armor made of crude iron. Green lines criss-crossed about the armor, like spiderwebs. They pulsed. In their hands they were carrying devices Cale did not recognize. They had to be weapons.


    But his attention was not on these two men. It was on the largest person in the room.


    Even taller than the guy wearing the suit, this monstrosity of a man towered over everything. A large, bald head of small beady eyes and an angry scowl, giving him a menacing air. Nine feet tall, wide as a brickhouse, his muscles rippled as he walked after the tall man in a suit. He also had green spiderwebs of wiring lining his torso, but these slight tubes went about his skin. It was gray and thick like that of a rhino¡¯s.


    But his most distinctive feature was a massive, red scorpion tail made of some unholy fusion of flesh and metal. It whipped around as the man walked, and at the end of the tail was a a sharp claw, that opened into a deadly fan and back into a sharp spike rhythmically. His other hand was made of the same red mesh of flesh and machine. It was a massive pincer that dragged along the ground as the massive man slightly hunched over its weight.


    The tall man stopped before a stone gate. It was braced with a shining blue steel, and in the middle of the gate was a panel that was faintly glowing with Mana.


    ¡°This is the treasure chamber,I reckon,¡± the tall man called behind him. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think this is the end of the line for you, Darius Roas,¡± the brute behind him growled.


    Darius only turned his head over his shoulder and smirked. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡± The brute asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure, but I was counting on it. Chimera Corporation isn¡¯t known for its subtlety.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The brute asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ subtle way of saying you¡¯re stupid and predictable.¡± Darius said, smirked and turned his head back towards the treasure door.


    One of the brute¡¯s lackeys stepped forward.


    ¡°You dare to disresp¡ª oof!¡±


    The large brute punched the lackey. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, lord Scarroid.¡± he muttered.


    Scarroid turned his scowl back to Darius. ¡°If you knew this was a setup, where is your backup?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re outside, I¡¯ll need their help carrying the loot,¡± Darius said, pocketing his free hand.


    The brute bristled, and his scorpion tail whipped the air.


    ¡°We¡¯re both Core Formation,¡± Scarroid said.


    ¡°You know what a tiger and a housecat have in common?¡± Darius asked, still not bothering to turn around, as if the treasure room door was more interesting than the conversation. ¡°They both have claws. But that¡¯s where the similarities end.¡±


    ¡°I see you keep yours well manicured, you domesticated sod.¡±


    ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± Darius said and turned to smile. ¡°I got them done just before I got here. I knew I wouldn¡¯t have to get my hands too dirty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy breaking your pretty teeth in.¡±


    ¡°Not ignoring how you think I¡¯m pretty,¡± Darius said. ¡°But how are you going to do that?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I would come here without a Mana-burn engine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Darius said. ¡°You forgot your brain at home, so why not two for the price of one?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Scarroid said and produced something that looked like an oversized compass from his waist satchel. Then he nudged his head at the two lackeys by his right. ¡°You two, buy time.¡±


    Darius turned and flourished his umbrella, and let it fall on his shoulder, still keeping his other hand in his pocket.


    Cale watched as Scarroid growled as the plate-sized compass started to whirr and a tether of blue energy connected it and the brute. It enveloped him in a translucent cloak that pulsed with energy. Meanwhile the two lackeys approached Darius carefully.


    Darius gave them no time. He lunged, and Cale saw only a black and silver blur. In the next eyeblink his umbrella had pierced the other lackey¡¯s stomach.


    Instead of withdrawing his strange weapon, Darius opened it. Cale could only see the sudden shocked realization in the young man¡¯s face before he exploded into a chunky rain of gore.


    Darius lifted his umbrella to shield himself from the bloody rain. Cale suspected pretense. Even though he had stood next to his foe point blank, somehow, his suit was still immaculate.


    The other lackey was now drenched in the blood of his comrade, and he visibly shook as he looked at his hands.


    ¡°Attack,¡± Scarroid growled.


    The lackey dropped his weapon and ran. In one fluid motion, Darius closed the umbrella and leveled it with a straight arm as he aimed. His shoulder bucked from recoil as a bolt of blue energy shot from the tip and slew the escaping man. The hole in his chest hissed and a faint trail of smoke trailed from it as the man fell.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Scarroid said. ¡°Saved me the trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we found some common ground,¡± Darius said and hoisted the umbrella back on his shoulder. ¡°Now. How about you show me what you got?¡±


    Scarroid growled as he squeezed the Mana-burn engine. The tether of energy between him and the device grew wild, thick and unstable. Arcs of energy spewed out. Then it blinked out. Scarroid growled.


    Even Cale could sense the dense storm of energy swirling inside the gigantic man. He seemed to grow in stature, and the green spider-veins on his body seemed to thrum with green energy. He extended to his full stature, seemingly no longer weighed by the massive claw grafted onto his left arm. Scarroid now swung it forward and clacked it in front of him. It made Cale¡¯s ears ring.


    With his scorpion tail, Scarroid casually swinged at a statue behind him. It exploded into thousands of little pieces.


    ¡°He is now well into the midway of Core Crystallization stage power levels,¡± Aura said. ¡°This other man is almost at peak of Core Formation himself, but right now he is unmatched.¡±


    ¡°What are the rankings again?¡±


    ¡°You are at Body Composition. After that follows Mana Circuitry. Then Core Formation and Core Crystallization. Each is several times stronger than the previous. There are ranks beyond that, but this is not the time.¡±


    ¡°How much stronger is the scorpion guy?¡± Cale asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Two¡ª maybe three times stronger.¡±


    ¡°How did he do that?¡±


    Aura huffed indignantly.


    ¡°A Mana-burn engine is something I will never let you use. It amplifies your power, but at a terrible cost. Not only will it eat away at the Mana cultivation you have built, burning away your Mana circuitry and draining your core, these devices will also drain your life¡¯s essence.¡±


    ¡°Burning the candle from both ends.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. It can give a cultivator great temporary power, but at the cost of his potential.¡±


    Cale nodded. That was all he managed to do. Both Darius and Scarroid vanished from their spots and now a black and white blur darted along the room, while being chased by a large red and green blotch. When the bigger blur caught Darius, they clashed. The shockwave of the impact blasted Cale back.


    He immediately scrambled on his feet, determined to not miss a blink of this fight.


    When he got back up, he had to hold on to a pillar to not be thrown on his back again. He watched as the two were now standing next to each other. Two weapons were swinging above and about them with lightning speed, with which Cale could not keep up. Scarroid¡¯s massive tail lashed like a massive red viper, and Darius¡¯s umbrella was nothing but a black blur as it came to meet the strikes. He was no longer smirking, but wore a focused scowl.


    Eventually, Darius had to dodge and he blink-stepped backwards or sideways. Every time he did that, Scarroid would charge with his massive clawed hand. Darius kept dodging and parrying, but he was slowing down.


    He took another blink step. The giant red claw rushed at him. Darius opened his umbrella and absorbed the force of the strike, skidding backwards on the stone floor.


    He smiled. ¡°I got you.¡±


    The umbrella hummed and blasted out a torrent of silver energy, like a dam burst open. It covered Scarroid and he roared in pain. When the torrent ended, he charged, his tail whipping wildly about him.


    He moved like a boxer on the twelfth round. Slow, sluggish, staggering forward. His shoulders shook with pain and exhaustion as he lunged again with the claw, much slower this time.


    Darius was slouched as well. When he took the blow on his umbrella, his arm gave and he was thrown twenty feet backwards. Scarroid lumbered towards him with pained and slow steps. Hurt for sure, but Darius was struggling to keep up.


    ¡°Nothing to say?¡± Scarroid sneered as he managed to push himself into a jog, dragging his massive claw behind him.


    Darius produced a small flask of golden-orange liquid. He swigged it down and immediately got up and straightened, full of new energy.


    ¡°Tsch,¡± Scarroid said. ¡°A mana elixir? That cost you a lot.¡±


    ¡°I guess I did come prepared after all,¡± Darius said and graced his foe with a mirthless smirk.


    Scarroid protruded a flask of his own. A bigger, this one, full of green, oily liquid that sloshed when Scarroid uncorked the flask.


    ¡°You know what this is?¡± Scarroid said and grinned an evil smile.


    ¡°A beastform elixir!¡± Darius gasped and raised his umbrella. He fired a volley of blue energy at the flask.


    Scarroid threw down a grenade. A giant cloud of green smoke billowed out and the large man vanished in the midst of it. Darius kept firing at the cloud with his umbrella, as he backed out, taking distance from the cloud.


    After a few heartbeats a guttural, inhuman growl reverberated in the chamber, so deep and violent, that it chilled Cale¡¯s spine.


    Something emerged from the cloud. It was no beast. It was a monster.

 CHAPTER 5: LEVELS

    When Scarroid emerged from the cloud of smoke, the air around his was steaming. Not vibrating, steaming. Cale was starting to feel he was no longer safe on his perch. The first attack Scarroid made, proved him right.


    He bent over and the massive red scorpion tail smashed where Darius had been. The blow made the whole ruins tremble and a spray of high speed rocks fanned in every direction.


    Darius responded by zig-zagging around the room. Every time he stopped, he fired one or two shots of energy from the tip of his umbrella. Scarroid hardly flinched when the struck his thick skin.


    Scarroid slammed his scorpion claw down and roared. Ripples of Mana that even Cale could sense flowed from the arm into the stone floor. The floor shook and ruptured, a thick scar exploding it open as a shockwave blasted Darius.


    A shimmering blue shield of energy enveloped Darius when he extended and opened his umbrella to block the attack. It threw him backwards, and immediately Scarroid rushed in to tackle him, sending projectile rubble everywhere. A rock the size of Cale¡¯s head blasted through the floor of the balcony and made the wall explode behind him.


    He yelped and bolted out. It was time to move.


    *


    ¡°So that¡¯s how cultivators fight?¡± Cale asked. Now that he was safe and the fear and rush was settling, there was excitement. A greed to know more.


    ¡°These were but middling level cultivators,¡± Aura said and sniffed. ¡°The more advanced one was barely able to produce external Mana.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the big guy also use external Mana with the earthquake attack.¡±


    ¡°Bah! After using a Mana-burn engine, and who knows what toxic elixir, he managed to produce a smidge of power. Amateurs!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cale said, playing reruns of the amazing fight in his mind as he walked down a sloping tunnel. ¡°Seemed pretty impressive to me.¡±


    ¡°A truly advanced cultivator can cut down cities in one fell swing.¡±


    ¡°How long until I can reach that level?¡±


    ¡°If you start listening to me, surely in no time!¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I cannot fathom why my creators inflicted me with you,¡± Aura said and sighed in Cale¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hey, Aura,¡± Cale said and stopped.


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re with me. Would really suck to wake up in a strange world completely alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª ahh¡­ Oh no¡ª FINE. I¡¯ll teach you, even if you choose not to listen sometimes. You are a fine mule for carrying my amazing mind.¡±


    ¡°I pour my heart out for you and all I get is ¡®mule¡¯? Tsk tsk.¡±


    ¡°Stop it. We¡¯ve only known for five minutes and you¡¯re already sniveling against my shoulder. Have some dignity! And boundaries!¡±


    Cale chuckled. Suddenly the dark passageway was not so dark after all. He felt calm and warm as he walked further into the unknown. A slight hunger was starting to build up, but Cale still felt strong and alert. But that was another thing he needed to take care of.


    He skulked around, trying to learn to sense mana signatures around him as efficiently as possible. Perhaps it was using up some of his mana, but it had to be a good habit to get into. Being unaware and getting ambushed would cost him more than a bit of mana. Eventually, even Aura got excited when she leveled.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Sense Mana: 1]


    ¡°As wasteful as you are, maybe it is not all for naught,¡± she said and sniffed.


    Cale was happy about the progress, but his mind was occupied. Aside from wanting to eat and see the sun again, he was fighting a sense of being lost. (How Cale knew there was a sun he had once seen was as mysterious as the knowledge of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.)


    Who the hell am I?


    It bothered him. He needed answers. But right now Cale didn¡¯t have much to go on.


    He took inventory. He had suddenly been born in this world which had all kinds of crazy shit happening. He had some aptitudes, like being cool under pressure and a clear taste for power. He was also fairly good at cultivating Mana and he seemed to have a knack for fighting murderous robots. Oh and he was fused with a magical AI.


    Cale stopped to crouch in a corner. Aura remarked on that, but Cale ignored her.


    What am I to make of all this?


    Did he just roll with it? Go outside and start¡­ living? Do things he liked? Or was he supposed to figure out who he was, what had happened to the Nevani and what was this fail-safe business he was supposed to be? Did any of that matter?


    It does to me.


    That was all there was to it really. He liked to cultivate mana. As crazy as it was, he liked fighting the murderbots. The fight between the cultivators had excited him. He wanted it. All of it. This crazy hunt for power and knife¡¯s edge situations. They gave him a thrill that was so profound, that until Cale found anything even close as interesting in this world, he would cultivate.


    And while I pursue cultivation, I¡¯ll find out who I am.


    There was a sense of ease as Cale stated all this to himself. Something resolved. A knot in his stomach loosened. A tension he hadn¡¯t realized he had been carrying in his shoulders melted. His brow unfurrowed. An easy, relaxed smile spread on his face.


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    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Just picturing our roles reversed,¡± Cale said and smirked. ¡°The arm flailing, screaming in panic, the works.¡±


    ¡°You dare mock me? I¡¯ll have you know, we would have been out of this damned cave hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Cale said slowly as he got up. ¡°But not without arm flailing.¡±


    ¡°Pffft. Having a body is all you are good for!¡±


    *


    Cale passed corridors of darkness, with strange rooms that he checked. He stopped at something looking like a lecture hall, with an amphitheater shape to the room and furniture. A stairway from the door down to a sunken platform split the rows of long tables and piles of chairs. There was metal and glass still remaining from eons ago. Everything was made sleek and functional, but with a certain minimalistic artistry. Chairs were simple Z-shaped blocks of metal scattered around. Cale crouched to inspect one of them and saw no seams. There were round etchings on the seat, like a magic sigil.


    ¡°I recognize that sigil. It is an inscription to make the seat more comfortable.¡±


    ¡°This is a Nevani artifact?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a CHAIR, Cale,¡± Aura said and harrumphed.


    Cale chuckled. ¡°Alright, you got a point. This seems advanced, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is advanced. My creators were truly mighty cultivators and peerless craftsmen.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to the Nevani?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before Aura answered. ¡°I do not know. I can see it, Cale. The floating cities, the giant energy arrays. The beauty and grace of their advancement. But I do not know what brought them ruin.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure we find out.¡±


    ¡°We would be further along, if a certain someone didn¡¯t stop to sniff some old chairs!¡±


    ¡°Hey, now,¡± Cale said. ¡°Let the record show, there was no sniffing involved.¡±


    Their lively banter was interrupted by a distinct screech of metal on stone. Something was coming towards the room, and Cale suspected it wasn¡¯t an ice cream cart.


    Cale hid under a table and pulled a chair between him and the door. Soon enough, a red lens popped from the side of the door and in skittered a murderbot. To Cale¡¯s chagrin, another one followed it. Cale slowly moved further from the staircase that the two murderbots were descending.


    Cale swallowed. His first instinct was to hide and wait for an opportune moment. Or maybe even escape, since fighting two could be trouble.


    No. I need to rise up. I need to be decisive.


    When the murderbots had descended the stairs to be on Cale¡¯s level, he called all of his power and control of mana to his body. Cale felt a surge of power. He darted from under the table, pivoted on his foot and punched straight into the slim lens-bearing head of the closer murderbot. The strike was true, but Cale immediately felt a flash of pain in his hand.


    The murderbot groaned and slammed into the second murderbot and they both toppled. Cale kicked a claw down and stepped on it and placed a hand on the first murderbot, draining its power.


    The rush of mana exhilarated him, but he only got a whiff, before the murderbots clambered up and started attacking him.


    The untamed mana roiled inside of Cale, making it hard to keep up. He dodged and ran, but his balance and his strength were rocked.


    ¡°You fool! You drained mana in the middle of combat. Why would you do something so monumentally stupid?! We are going to die!¡±


    Cale didn¡¯t answer. He was reaching inside of him as he dodged another swipe of a claw, although this one ripped up his jumpsuit and drew blood. Cale gasped and jumped over a table to regain his composure. The bots didn¡¯t wait, they circled from both sides and lunged at Cale in a pincer attack. Cale did the only viable option and high jumped.


    He realized immediately his mistake. The murderbots had checkmated him. They would skewer him when he landed. Aura was shouting something in the background of his consciousness. Cale reached inside, trusting his instincts. The roiling mana was there, making him sick and weak.


    One way to stop that.


    ¡°Take this!¡± Cale shouted and extended his arm, expunging all of the boiling energy inside of him. A great blue arc of liquid lightning struck one of the murderbots. Sparks flew and the murderbot groaned and shook, until the red lens went dim.


    The other murderbot did skewer Cale when he landed. It immediately lunged and stabbed him. Cale managed to dodge, so that only two of its claws punctured his side. Cale let the pain fuel him as he discharged the rest of the energy he had drained, frying up the murderbot. It clawed at Cale again, but he charged, toppling his enemy. The last dregs of the drained Mana were spent and Cale fell on his knees in front of the pile of blackened metal and smoke.


    ¡°Ho-ly crap. You can do that? You didn¡¯t tell me you could do that! This¡­ This is unheard of!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cale said between heaving breaths. His vision was swimming and he wanted to vomit. The reflex worked perfectly, annoyingly fine, but nothing came out of his empty stomach. The pain in his side was exquisite. ¡°I¡¯ll join the revelling in a minute.¡±


    After spitting out the bile and wiping his mouth, Cale got up on wobbly legs. He looked down and found he was bleeding. That wasn¡¯t so good. He was alone in some long-abandoned dungeon with a wound that definitely required medical care. Maybe he could rip up his jumpsuit and stop the bleeding. But something had definitely punctured inside, so tying up the wound would only delay the inevitable¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around there. Drain these two, so I can save you.¡±


    Cale got straight to work, skipping the stupid questions like ¡°You can do that?¡±. If there was a way to continue doing this, he wouldn¡¯t question it. He drained one of the murderbots and was about to get to the second one, but Aura stopped him.


    ¡°Sit down and keep the mana steady.¡±


    Cale did as was asked, and found breathing and concentrating very hard. But he drained focus from the pain. The pain was his ally. It would keep him on the task. The energy boiled and stormed inside of him, but with gritted teeth, Cale managed to calm the storm after a few minutes of concentration. As he did so and the smooth and steady new mana circled inside of him, it started thinning with every cycle the swirl of mana inside of him got thinner and smaller. Eventually it was gone. Cale still breathed evenly.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Molecular Tissue Regeneration: 1]


    ¡°Done,¡± Aura piped up smugly.


    Cale dared open his eyes and looked down. His wound had knitted up. He ripped up the hole in his jumpsuit with both of his hands to see better.


    ¡°Not a scratch on it¡­¡± he said aloud in wonder.


    ¡°You are not the only one with surprises!¡± Aura said and Cale could hear her beaming with self-satisfaction. ¡°I have initiated a cellular repair program. It may look like it¡¯s healed, but you still have some damage. However, you are now stable. And I leveled!¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Cale said. ¡°Thanks for that. But is the mana gone?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is gone. You cannot expect me to break the laws of the universe just to save your clumsy butt every time you mess up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Cale said. ¡°You leveled?¡±


    ¡°I did!¡± Aura said and Cale could feel her preening. ¡°I am truly amazing am I not? I have some abilities that I am still discovering. Healing being one of them. The more I use it, the more mana efficient and potent it becomes. Simple function on your end. Extremely complicated for me. And expensive. So give me some mana!¡±


    Cale knew that rabbit Aura had pulled out of a hat had just saved his ass. His heart was still pounding from the adrenaline. That had been a close brush with death. It was scary, and it made him take serious stock of his situation. He did not want to die.


    But there was also a dark excitement. He had faced death and violence and overcome that. That made him powerful, that made him a winner. It didn¡¯t matter that it had cost him some resources. The conflict had cost the opponent their existence. And there was something deeply satisfying about that.


    Huh. I¡¯m kind of messed up.


    Despite Aura having saved his life with the mana, Cale still felt a pang of frustration at the lost chance to cultivate. Aura had leveled, so it wasn¡¯t a complete waste. But Cale was still annoyed. He would have to be more careful.


    At least I still have one murderbot left.


    Cale drained it and sat down to cultivate the mana. He was getting fairly good at it. It only took him two, maybe three minutes to tame the boiling storm inside of him. Immediately when it settled, it got sucked up into some incomprehensible dimension.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Cale protested.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aura said in an offended tone. ¡°Am I taking too much from you, in an attempt to save your life?¡±


    Cale groaned, but he supposed the snappy AI had a point. ¡°How are you doing all this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. My nanobots are transforming the mana into the correct chemicals your body needs to initiate the healing processes and to repair the damage. Then I supercharge the process with the magical sigils of my creators that are embedded into the nanobots.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Cale said. ¡°Are there any drawbacks?¡±


    ¡°You know how you are now in Body Tempering stage two?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re basically like an extra tough mortal. Like a guy wearing a bear hide for skin.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you are getting close to the point.¡±


    ¡°The point is that it is still relatively cheap to repair your bear hide. But when you start reaching levels of cultivation which makes your body supernatural, we are going to need vastly increasing amounts of mana to heal this kind of damage. It gets very technical, you know.¡±


    ¡°Vastly?¡±


    ¡°Oh, vastly,¡± Aura said. ¡°Oh, and I am going to need additional mana to recharge the sigils. So maybe try not to get skewered again, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, but no promises. I hear it¡¯s trending this season.¡±


    ¡°What even is a season?¡± Aura asked.


    Cale paused. Fractured memories of traffic jams, music jams, and aisles of jam flashed through his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fashion thing,¡± he said, distractedly. ¡°Hey, Aura. Do you know what a taxi is? Or a milkshake?¡±


    ¡°Milkshakes¡­?¡± Aura repeated cautiously. ¡°Did you suffer a brain injury?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s just find one after we get out of these ruins.¡±


    Aura harrumphed in his mind, and Cale got going. He winced as he got up, as clearly the damage to his side wasn¡¯t completely healed. He scouted carefully ahead, and the silence of the ruins fell on them again. Cale broke it immediately.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ uh, thanks for saving my life.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª well I had to, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cale said and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, except for what a milkshake is. But I do know this. I¡¯m very lucky to have you.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I¡ª Well, I like you too, when you¡¯re not annoying me!¡± Aura snapped, though the flustered edge in her voice made Cale grin. He could almost imagine her blushing.

 CHAPTER 6 - TREASURE ROOM

    Cale could hear the rumble and crash of those two cultivators fighting somewhere nearby. He was wary of them not crashing through a wall suddenly, because if that happened, Cale needed to make himself scarce immediately.


    The cultivators intrigued him. He wanted their power. The strange greed flashed in him, and Cale found that instead of being afraid, he was looking forward to facing more murderbots.


    I¡¯m kind of a crackpot, aren¡¯t I?


    In the long forgotten remains of a master civilization, Cale trudged forwards. He faced a murderbot that was alone and unaware of him. Cale quickly jumped on it with a vicious ambush and drained it. He and Aura bickered whether or not he should cultivate with the energy or give it to Aura, so she could recharge her healing sigils. Caution won and Aura got the mana.


    After a few minutes of uneventful exploration and another drained murderbot, Cale stumbled upon a room that had to be a treasury. Glimmering crystals of blue and purple and an orange golden light of varied sizes. Two large piles of little ones the size of his pinky, but there were a few that were the size of his arm.


    There were strange devices on pedestals that Cale did not understand. In the center of the room was one particularly large pedestal made of gold and on top of it was a mystical contraption of tubes and cylinders and sleek metal panels with sigils embedded in them.


    Looming above it all was a guardian made of sharp edges and hard steel. A murderbot. A really, really big murderbot.


    Cale swallowed as his eyes traveled from its tree trunk legs to its hulking torso which ended in a sleek head that had a large triple lens for an eye. The eyes were thankfully dim. Cale exhaled in relief.


    He took a closer look. The monstrosity stood twelve feet tall and had a long tail with jagged blades protruding from the length in four directions. It also had a curious round shield on its back. Cale suggested this machine would get on all fours and lash out with the blade-tail when engaged.


    Cale positioned himself by the door he had entered the room to assess the situation.


    ¡°Good move to take a step back,¡± Aura said. ¡°You are not completely hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Cale said. ¡°I¡¯ll get us killed yet.¡±


    ¡°That is precisely why I worry.¡±


    ¡°What is all this stuff?¡±


    ¡°Those Crystals over there? They are Manastones. Nevani used them for currency.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re saying those things are full of mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and¡ª Don¡¯t you dare take another step, Cale!¡±


    Cale stopped himself with great effort. There were hundreds of manastones in those two piles. And the big ones must have had a massive amount of Mana in them. The greed was strong in him, compelling, goading him. But he had to suppress it. For all they knew if he touched the treasure, the murderbot would activate.


    Cale swallowed and nodded to himself. He was in control. For now.


    ¡°What¡¯s that big item on the pedestal?¡±


    ¡°Oh that?¡± Aura said offhandedly.  ¡°It¡¯s a mana attuner. Looks to be a fairly advanced one as those things went. They¡¯re used to process incompatible Mana and make it something a cultivator can use.¡±


    ¡°Sounds useful,¡± Cale said. ¡°Could I use it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aura sniffed. ¡°I would not permit you to use such crude imitations of perfection. I am a state of the art mana attuner, Cale. And while these crude prototypes have limitations on their mana type, bandwidth and capacity, I am as close to perfection as you can hope.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re only excellent at giving me a hard time,¡± Cale remarked.


    ¡°Hmph. I suppose I will have to try harder.¡±


    Cale chuckled dryly. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the plan. I grab one of the big crystals and bolt out of the room. If the guardian wakes up, I¡¯ll have time to escape.¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly sound thinking.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m so smart.¡±


    There was nothing else to plan so Cale made his move. He crept towards one of the large crystals on a pedestal that shimmered with an orange-golden light.


    ¡°These are quite high grade. Even with your atrocious efficiency rate, we will be able to push you to the peak of Body Tempering.¡±


    With keen enthusiasm grabbed the crystal. Something clicked inside the pedestal and suddenly two things happened. First, the giant guardian woke up. The glaring red lenses fixed on Cale. That was fine, Cale had planned for this. He turned and bolted, but the second thing caught him off guard. The door had been sealed by a shimmering energy field, similar to what had protected Cale when he had integrated with Aura.


    Crap.


    Cale spun and jumped up into the air instinctively as the guardian swiped at him with its massive tail. It crashed into a supporting pillar, sending stone spraying out.


    Cale knew he was outgunned, but he had to do something. He inhaled and drained the energy from the crystal. It felt natural and easy. Very different from draining a murderbot. The energy didn¡¯t fight him, but it still wasn¡¯t his. It didn¡¯t make him sick either, but it did make him feel sluggish.


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    Better than I expected.


    Cale routed some of his natural power to his body, energizing it, enabling him to dodge another tail swipe. The energy from the crystal he expunged. A violent beam of cracking energy struck the guardian, making it stumble and groan. But that was all the damage Cale could inflict.


    ¡°This is a mid-tier murderbot, Cale!¡± Aura explained frantically. ¡°It is manifold stronger than you. You need to escape.¡±


    Cale looked around but found no exits. The murderbot fell on its front legs and a latch opened, imitating a mouth. The mouth whined and gathered energy, and Cale¡¯s instincts gave him just enough time to drop the crystal and dodge, when a surge of fiery red energy blasted where he had just stood.


    It was close. Close enough to singe the shoulder and set fire to the jumpsuit. Cale rolled on the ground and darted behind a pillar. Another blast followed, and the blast from the destroyed pillar sent Cale flying and tumbling on the hard floor.


    The bladed tail lashed out and smashed into the ground. Cale rolled towards the enemy, making the strike miss. But when the tail withdrew, it cut Cale on the back. A hot white pain lanced him and he gasped in pain at the laceration. The gash on his back was deep and was bleeding profusely.


    No! This is not where I die!


    Cale lunged towards the crystal on the floor he had abandoned. Dodged another tail swipe, drank in the Mana and immediately blasted the guardian with a spike of mana energy. It barely flinched.


    Cale did it again, dodged an energy blast or a tail swipe and kept attacking. The lumbering tortoise-monster of a murderbot did slow down, but Cale was on his last legs. Not only did the physical exertion and his gaping wound wear him down, the constant draining and blasting of raw mana was making him really sick. Mirthlessly he wondered if he had gotten even this far, if the mana in the crystals wasn¡¯t so refined.


    Eventually, Cale collapsed on his hands and knees. Aura was shouting frantically in the background, but Cale could not hold out any longer. There was no escape and he was out of cards to play. He closed his eyes and waited for the hammer to fall.


    It never came.


    Instead a tremendous crash shook the chamber as a red streak violently blasted into the treasure chamber, sending rubble flying in every direction. In a stroke of luck, just as the guardian was swinging down its bladed tail on Cale, the red streak tackled it.


    Cale almost pissed himself when the bladed tail crashed next to him before it flew away.


    Eyes wide with shock and the thrill of being alive, Cale stared at the foot deep gash on the ground next to him.


    ¡°Cale! FOCUS!¡±


    Instinctively Cale grabbed the half-drained crystal next to him and shuffled into safety behind a broken pillar.


    The sound hit first¡ªa deafening crash as stone and steel exploded inward. Cale¡¯s head whipped around just in time to see a red streak barrel into the room, slamming into the guardian like a wrecking ball. The murderbot¡¯s tail lashed out, but the red figure dodged with brutal efficiency. Scarroid. His claws tore into the murderbot¡¯s torso, sparks flying as he ripped through layers of armor. But his movements were sluggish, his strikes growing weaker with each blow. On his skin were thin spiderwebs of black and purple veins.


    ¡°Look at him,¡± Aura said. ¡°He¡¯s been running. That disgusting manaburn engine is taking its toll. And those wounds¡­¡±


    Clutching the crystal, Cale crept to the blasted wall that Scarroid had broken through. He was about to turn a corner and dart the hell away, before he stopped at the last second and noticed he was staring at a bottomless abyss. The darkness below him continued into pure nothingness. And when Cale looked up he saw that he would have to make a fifteen yard jump to make it to a ledge.


    Okay, plan B. I wish I had a plan B.


    ¡°Drain the crystal. Quickly. I¡¯ll heal you.¡±


    Cale rushed back to his little corner behind a pillar and started working with the Mana. It was a lot easier than with the mana he had drained from the murderbots. This one settled down in mere seconds and there was an abundance of it.


    He filled himself to the brim and felt the gash on his back knit back together. The pain in both his side and his back subsided. Even some of the fatigue he was feeling seemed to clear. But the crystal was emptied.


    ¡°Whew. That was a lot of mana. I got you almost fully healed, and my sigils still have some energy left. Okay. What next?¡±


    Cale looked at the empty crystal and sighed. That mana would have gone a long way boosting his cultivation. But admittedly, it was more important to survive this situation.


    The problem was that whoever won this brawl would proceed to squash him like a bug. Cultivating to get stronger would take too much time, and he couldn¡¯t advance far enough to challenge either of these two monsters.


    But if the guardian dies, maybe the energy field blocking the door will dissipate¡­


    Cale bolted towards one of the pedestals and grabbed another forearm-sized crystal and scurried back to a corner. Another corner this time, one with a clearer view of the fight and closer proximity to the door he had entered the room. He sat down in a cross legged position.


    He couldn¡¯t help it. Call it pure instinct, call it absolute degenerate, unadulterated greed, but Cale cultivated. Just a little bit. Just an inch closer. Because he knew he was close. He kept his focus mostly on the Cultivation, but eyed the fight between the guardian and scarroid every few seconds.


    They were duking it out on full blast. Scarroid smashed the guardian with his monstrous claw, banging up the metal. Their tails whipped about them like two giant swords, sending sparks everywhere. The guardian blasted energy out of its mouth periodically, causing Scarroid¡¯s flesh to sizzle.


    ¡°You idiot! Why are you cultivating?!¡±


    Cale ignored her. He was so close. He had to do it. The energy was easy to tame and it flowed into him easily. He strengthened his bones, his muscles, his tendons. Cale sent the mana into his marrow and into his intestines. He felt a warm glow inside of him, and something broke through.


    [Body Tempering stage 3]


    ¡°You absolute maniac¡­¡± Aura said in disbelief.


    Cale wasted no time. He clutched the crystal in his hand that still glowed with plentiful energy. He skulked to the side of the platform in the middle of the room to get a clear view of the fight. Both of the opponents were beat up. Scarroid was bleeding and burnt and breathing raggedly. He swung his claw at the guardian and fell on a knee.


    ¡°His Beastform elixir! It¡¯s almost spent. His vitals are weak too.¡±


    The guardian wasn¡¯t much better off. It moved sluggishly and the bladed tail had barely any momentum to it. When Scarroid¡¯s claw-punch connected, the guardian staggered backwards and fell on its back. Before it could use its tail to get back up, Scarroid roared and impaled the unprotected belly of the guardian with his tail. Sparks of electrified mana made fireworks and the guardian shook violently before going entirely limp.


    The red scorpion-man stood over the broken murderbot, his chest rising and falling in uneven bursts. Blood seeped from the gashes along his side, pooling on the floor beneath him.


    Scarroid groaned and slumped against a wall. He was really messed up. Burnt face and chest. Bleeding from nasty gashes in at least three places. He looked smaller somehow, emaciated. Maybe it was the Beastform elixir wearing off. There was also a strange blue and purple spider-web pulsing on his red skin. Scarroid groaned and breathed raggedly, eyes barely open.


    Where there had just a moment ago been a vicious raging battle, now there was a serene silence. Cale realized he would need to act, and act soon.


    Cale froze, his heart hammering in his chest. He could run. Maybe Scarroid wouldn¡¯t chase him. But the other maybe was that he would be brutally killed. That was not a maybe he could afford. So he listened to his instincts. Cale started draining the energy in the mana crystal he was clutching.


    Scarroid didn¡¯t seem to notice Cale¡ªor the crystal in his hands, still alight with mana energy. The great beast of a man was too busy trying to breath evenly. He reached for his pocket for something. A pill.


    With painstakingly slow movement he managed to slip it into his mouth. For one fleeting second, Cale thought about running. He didn¡¯t know what that pill was and it could mean his doom. But then Scarroid¡¯s eyes flicked toward him, blood-red and feverish. Eyes filled with primal violence. Cale acted on his instincts.


    When Cale approached his head snapped up. ¡°Y-you¡­ The hell are you?¡±


    Cale looked into Scarroid¡¯s eyes and he knew he could not hesitate here. He would have to be decisive. It was the only way to be certain he could survive. Cale found the decision surprisingly easy. But now was not the time to ponder that.


    The mana inside Cale felt like a star trying to eat him up from the inside. It burned. It hurt. Most of it was collected in his right arm. It felt like a million pinpricks were stabbing at it. He felt weak. His legs shook. Even as smooth as the mana was in the crystal, Cale had sucked it up as full as he could. The pressure was mounting and it would soon rip his arm apart. There was so much raw power surging inside him. He had to let loose.


    Cale extended his arm at Scarroid¡¯s face. ¡°Boom.¡±


    The whole treasure chamber exploded in a bright flash of mana explosion. A sound like roaring water and breaking glass filled Cale¡¯s ears as the light blinded him. Scarroid¡¯s roars of pain and anger joined the cacophony. And then there was silence.

 CHAPTER 7 - DARIUS ROAS

    The whole treasure chamber exploded in a bright flash of mana explosion. A sound like roaring water and breaking glass filled Cale¡¯s ears as the light blinded him. Scarroid¡¯s roars of pain and anger joined the cacophony. And then there was silence.


    Cale just stood and looked at the space Scarroid¡¯s head had been a moment ago. Now there was nothing but a charred up neck, sporadically spurting up blood.


    ¡°That was amazing, Cale!¡± Aura practically beamed. ¡°I am reconfiguring my combat modules. Oh, I think I leveled up!¡±


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Predictive Battle Algorhitm: 1]


    Cale didn¡¯t feel amazing. He felt sick. He had just killed a man in cold blood. His instincts had taken over. Sure, this brutal cultivator was most likely not going to take him on a beach holiday after he regained his strength, but Cale hadn¡¯t given him any time to plead his case or explain what he would do next.


    It had felt so easy to pull the trigger. But looking at the charred remains of Scarroid made Cale feel the weight of his decision.


    He had just killed a man.


    It bothered Cale. It bothered him, but he found he could live with that. And he had the distinct feeling that this would be the first of many if he continued on this path. Could he live with that?


    Maybe he hadn¡¯t even planned to kill me¡­


    The possibility weighed on Cale¡¯s heart like an anvil made of lead.


    ¡°Was this right..?¡± he asked half-aloud.


    ¡°Do not be foolish, Cale. You did what you had to. Now, what is our next move?¡±


    Before Cale could answer, the tall man with the umbrella leapt into the room from the broken bridge. He looked at Scarroid. Then he looked at Cale, then at Scarroid, and Cale again. He threw back his head and laughed. He brought a hand to cover his face and laughed so rambunctiously, that the whole chamber seemed to shake. At the end of his fit, he sighed wistfully and turned to Cale.


    ¡°Well done,¡± Darius said in a smooth voice. He stepped around the chamber, looking at the various treasures with mild interest. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You first,¡± Cale said.


    Darius smiled at him. Cale found he didn¡¯t like that smile. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    Darius shook his head multiple times. ¡°Yeah. You really should.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m new around these parts,¡± Cale said. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m Cale. I¡¯m the guy who doesn¡¯t want to get murdered.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± the tall man said, stepping forward. ¡±I¡¯m Darius Roas. The guy who is still considering it.¡±


    ¡°Stay back,¡± Cale snapped.


    ¡°Feisty,¡± Darius drawled and grinned. Then he looked at Scarroids corpse and pointed a finger at it. ¡°Your handiwork?¡±


    ¡°What of it?¡± Cale said.


    Darius looked at Cale with a keen predatory interest. ¡°You have my attention. What tier are you?¡±


    Cale swallowed and did not answer first. He weighed his options. He knew he couldn¡¯t get out of this one alive with luck and brawn.


    ¡°High enough to get down here,¡± Cale said, mustering his best poker face. Then he nudged his head towards the Scarroid. ¡°And do that.¡±


    ¡°Touche,¡± Darius said, casually wiping dust off one of the pedestals with a finger. ¡°So how come I never heard about you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t leave witnesses,¡± Cale said and casually pointed his arm at the man with the umbrella.


    ¡°Smart,¡± Darius, while rubbing the dust between his fingers. ¡°But that tells me a lot already. You¡¯re either a Whisper or from the Aegis. And if you were from the Aegis, you¡¯d know who I am. And if you were a Whisper, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    After Darius said that he smiled and locked eyes on Cale. Cale said nothing, but he hoped the tall man didn¡¯t hear him swallow. Darius only stared, wearing a lopsided smile, as if engaged in idle small talk that he knew the beats of.


    ¡°How about we stop playing this game,¡± Cale said and strained himself to prevent his knees from buckling as he pointed his hand at the man. ¡°You walk away, or I¡¯ll give you the same treatment I gave this guy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I love games,¡± Darius said and took a few paces towards Cale. ¡°What happened to no witnesses? How about we play a different game?¡±


    ¡°No games. Back off, or I shoot.¡±


    Darius casually picked up a medium sized crystal off a pile and tossed it up and down in his hand as he approached Cale.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re a quickshot, and yes, that¡¯s a double entendre. You¡¯re limp after dealing with my friend here.¡±


    ¡°You sure you want to risk it?¡± Cale asked, straining to keep his voice calm.


    ¡°Kid, this line of work is all about managing risk,¡± Darius said. Then he looked at the crystal in Cale¡¯s hands and there was a tug at his lips. ¡°Shoot your shot. But if you miss¡­¡±


    Cale swallowed. This was it. Darius had called his bluff. Not only was Cale barely standing at this point through sheer power of will, but the crystal in his hands was empty, and Darius knew it.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    There is no way I beat this guy. I need something else.


    Cale¡¯s eyes shifted, before they finally locked onto something. Something that would make Darius think twice.


    Cale threw the empty crystal at Darius, lunged for a mana crystal on the ground that had been scattered in the fighting, grabbed it and immediately jumped on the dais in the middle of the room, and pointed his hand at the mana attuner. The strange tubed contraption was now between Cale and Darius.


    There was just a hint of fleeting tension around Darius¡¯s eyes. Then it smoothed out. He stopped tossing the crystal. It wasn¡¯t much, but that was all Cale needed to see to know he had leverage now.


    ¡°That was an excellent move, Cale!¡± Aura chimed full of pride. ¡°That mana attuner, crude as it is, must be worth more to that cultivator than anything in the room combined.¡±


    That gave Cale some well-needed confidence. He even managed a hint of a satisfied smile.


    ¡°This is what you¡¯re here for, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cale said. ¡°You move and I blow a hole in this.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Darius said and took a few paces back. ¡°You¡¯re a quick thinker, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Cale smirked. ¡°Low risk target. Hard to miss.¡±


    Darius shook his head, with a hint of a smile playing on his lips. ¡°Kid, if you don¡¯t embrace risk, you¡¯ll never make it.¡±


    ¡°I made it this far.¡±


    ¡°Well played,¡± Darius muttered and looked at Cale under his brows. ¡°You turned a gun to your head into a stalemate. But unless you got another ace up your sleeve, this is the end of the line.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Well it pays to ask what you¡¯re risking in these situations,¡± Darius said and started pacing back and forth with hands behind his back. He winked at Cale. ¡°If you destroy the attuner, you lose your ace. Let me be clear, if you didn¡¯t catch up. Destroy that, and I will kill you. And I¡¯ll make good sport about it too.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s behind door number two?¡± Cale asked cautiously.


    Darius chuckled to himself and stopped pacing, facing Cale again with all of his looming predatory focus. ¡°See, that¡¯s what you should have thought before you threatened my property. You put me in a situation where I stand to lose money and advancement unless I do what you want. But you being the fool you are, don¡¯t even know what you want.¡±


    ¡°I know what I want,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°That so?¡± Darius asked, looking at his nails. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Power,¡± Cale said, and Darius looked up at him.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking my language, kid,¡± Darius said and sat down on a pile of mana crystals and leaned his chin on his hands which rested on his umbrella. ¡°Why do you want it? Security? Control? Fear?¡±


    Cale was startled by the question and didn¡¯t have a clear answer. He was faced with the fact that he barely knew himself. He sifted through the memories of hot dog stands, libraries, designer sofas and hot air balloons. But he found nothing of himself.


    ¡°Do you often engage in deep conversation in situations like this?¡± Cale asked to buy time.


    ¡°Only when it amuses me.¡±


    Cale only knew the thrill he got when he fought and the pure, unadulterated joy of advancement. The contentment of knowing you had just become superior to what you previously were, and nothing could take that away from you.


    ¡°I want it because it makes me feel alive,¡± Cale said gently.


    ¡°Ah, I see how it is¡­ Power,¡± Darius said wistfully as he shook his head and clicked his tongue. ¡°Women, drink, hell, even money¡­ Nothing quite catches the high that pure power gives.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want it? Cale asked eagerly. ¡°Why did you become a cultivator.¡±


    Darius smiled at Cale. An ever so fleeting genuine smile. They had shared a moment.


    ¡°I said I like games. This is the ultimate game. And I love winning at it.¡±


    ¡°How do you win at this?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°First lesson: Don¡¯t compete without an edge,¡± Darius said and got up, lazily pointing his umbrella at Cale. His eyes hardened. ¡°Speaking of which. How did a novice like you get down here? What tier did you say you were again?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t,¡± Darius said. ¡°I find it passing odd, that you managed to create an external energy blast strong enough to kill a Core Formation tier cultivator. And when I try to sense your mana, do you know what I sense?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense,¡± Cale said tightly.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Darius said flatly. ¡°Absolutely zilch. Which makes you either very dangerous, or at least very curious. My gut is telling it¡¯s the latter. Do you know what else I think?¡±


    Cale said nothing, but that didn¡¯t seem to bother Darius who clearly enjoyed his monologues.


    ¡°I think the only technology that can hide mana signature is some high end black ops Gilded Gear experimental Integra,¡± Darius said and paused before tilting his head. ¡°Or Nevani True Integra.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Cale said flatly, but his heart had suddenly started thrumming like a hummingbird on caffeine.


    Darius laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts, kid. And maybe just enough brains to keep them inside you. But you¡¯re a terrible liar.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s guessing,¡± Aura said, surfacing in Cale¡¯s mind. ¡°Deny everything.¡±


    He¡¯s really good at guessing¡­ But I need to learn more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say you were right,¡± Cale said carefully. ¡°What happens next?¡±


    ¡°Simple,¡± Darius said and a small spark of energy appeared at the tip of his umbrella. ¡°I kill you and retrieve the Integra.¡±


    ¡°If he kills you, I will die with him. It¡¯s not like he has any way to retrieve the nanobots that I¡¯m made of,¡± Aura said flatly. Gone was the snark and pomp. She was quiet and serious. But she urged Cale in no direction.


    Cale hesitated, his mind racing. He didn¡¯t have much time, and with the limited knowledge he had, bluffing would be hard.


    ¡°You kill me,¡± Cale said, his voice firmer than he felt, ¡°and you¡¯ll never get your answers.¡±


    Darius stopped charging his umbrella-weapon, his amusement flickering into something sharper. ¡°Careful, kid. You¡¯re bluffing again, and I¡¯m starting to think you don¡¯t have the cards to back it up.¡±


    ¡°Not a bluff,¡± Cale said. ¡°Aura¡ªthe Integra¡ªshe¡¯s part of me now. You kill me, and she¡¯s gone. She told me herself.¡±


    ¡°Aura, huh..?¡± Darius raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning. ¡°Convenient story. Too convenient. But let¡¯s say I believe you¡­ that doesn¡¯t leave me many options, does it?¡±


    ¡°It leaves you one,¡± Cale said, lowering his hand, and stepping aside from the mana attuner. ¡°Teach me this game you play. I want to be a cultivator. I want to get stronger. I want power¡­¡±


    Darius didn¡¯t say anything. He just watched Cale. Assessing, listening, slowly tapping a finger on the handle of his umbrella.


    Cale pushed on.


    ¡°You get to leave here without a giant hole in the Mana attuner and with my Nevani Integra. Teach me. And if I turn out to be a dud¡­ You get to kill me and see for yourself if I was bluffing.¡±


    Darius let the silence hang in the room for a moment that felt like an eternity to Cale. A knot was tightening in his stomach as Darius¡¯s intense gaze bore into Cale.


    Then, slowly, Darius began to laugh¡ªa quiet chuckle that built into something loud and boisterous, echoing through the chamber.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Darius said, wiping at the corner of his eye. ¡°Desperate. Reckless. Clever, even. And¡­¡±


    He took a step closer, his grin turning wolfish. ¡°¡­maybe just bold enough to survive.¡±


    Cale said nothing. He only stared Darius down. He had played his hand and shown it. Now the ball was in Darius¡¯s court.


    ¡°Alright, kid,¡± Darius said, twirling the umbrella in his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself a deal. I¡¯ll teach you. But let¡¯s be clear about one thing¡­¡± He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. ¡°¡­if you waste my time, I¡¯ll kill you.¡°


    Cale didn¡¯t even flinch. He didn¡¯t need to be afraid. He would make sure he was worthwhile.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Darius straightened, his smirk widening. ¡°Good. Welcome to the game, kid.¡±

 CHAPTER 8 - FIRST ADVANCEMENT

    ¡°...So I woke up in a cryopod.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    ¡°I integrated with Aura, who is an ancient Nevani AI.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°I can drain murderbots for mana.¡±


    ¡°You can do WHAT?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m third stage Body Tempering.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    By the time Cale finished recounting everything, Darius dropped heavily onto a pile of mana crystals, staring at him as if he¡¯d just sprouted a second head. He twirled his umbrella absently, the polished handle clicking against his palm.


    ¡°Hell of a story, kid,¡± Darius said at last. ¡°Either you¡¯re the luckiest amateur I¡¯ve ever met, or the unluckiest. Haven¡¯t decided which yet.¡±


    His eyes flicked to Scarroid¡¯s charred corpse.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t believe you killed him. Third stage Body Tempering? You have no business being this strong.¡±


    Cale smiled weakly, too exhausted to muster any pride. He slumped back against a pedestal, sucking on the bitter pill Darius had tossed him earlier. It was helping, but only barely.


    ¡°Your Integra, Aura, is a special piece of tech,¡± Darius said, tapping the umbrella against his knee. ¡°That energy blast you used? Crude, sure. But mana manifestation techniques don¡¯t start showing up until Core Formation. Maybe late Mana Circuitry if you¡¯re a prodigy. You shouldn¡¯t be able to do that at your level.¡±


    ¡°Excccccuuuuse me, did that man just call me ¡®crude¡¯?!¡±


    Cale blinked, the terminology washing over him like a foreign language. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of words I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s an Integra?¡±


    Darius groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what an Integra is?


    He lifted his umbrella and spun it idly, his expression turning faintly amused.


    ¡°This is an Integra. High-end manatech, bonded to my cultivation. Some are weapons, some are tools, some are flashy junk made to impress idiots. Every serious cultivator is packing some.¡±


    ¡°What does it do?¡±


    Darius¡¯s smirk widened. He patted the umbrella fondly.


    ¡°What doesn¡¯t it do? Weapon, shield, transportation, and a few surprises you¡¯ll see if I trust you enough. Which¡­¡±


    His grin turned sharper.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t.¡±


    Cale started to speak, but Darius raised a hand, silencing him.


    ¡°Look, kid. We could do this all day¡ª¡®What¡¯s this? What¡¯s that?¡¯¡ªbut I have places to be, and I don¡¯t have the patience. So here¡¯s the deal: you¡¯re going to cultivate while I talk at you.¡±


    Cale frowned.


    ¡°You mean ¡®talk with me.¡¯¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°To me?¡±


    ¡°At you,¡± Darius said flatly, tossing him a bright yellow pill. ¡°Now sit down, swallow that recovery pill, and stick this under your tongue.¡±


    Cale caught the pill, hesitating for a moment before obeying. It tasted like lemons and rain, with a sweet aftertaste. His eyes widened almost immediately as the world brightened, colors growing sharper, the flow of mana inside him clearer and more vibrant.


    Aura hummed in his mind, as if tasting the pill herself.


    ¡°High-grade alchemical supplements. Primitive, but effective. Perhaps this scoundrel is not entirely useless.¡±


    Cale snorted. ¡°Scoundrel?¡±


    ¡°I am ancient,¡± Aura said, her tone prim and haughty. ¡°I am allowed these words.¡±


    Darius perked up, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Did your AI just call me a scoundrel?¡±


    Cale¡¯s grin twitched at the edges.


    ¡°She says maybe.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®maybe?¡¯¡±


    ¡°She declines to answer.¡±


    Darius leaned back, resting his chin on his umbrella handle. A slow, cocky grin spread across his face.


    ¡°I like her. She¡¯s got spirit,¡± he paused. ¡°Shame she¡¯s wasted on you.¡±


    Cale could feel Aura sniffing in his mind. ¡°He¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Cale muttered aloud.


    ¡°Okay, enough play,¡± Darius said and he leveled a serious gaze at Cale. ¡°You¡¯re at third stage Body Tempering now. Do you know what happens when you reach fourth?¡±


    ¡°A party?¡± Cale asked as he sucked the juice out of the pill.


    ¡°Funny guy,¡± Darius said flatly. ¡°You don¡¯t know. Here¡¯s a real piece of advice. What you don¡¯t know will most certainly kill you in my world.¡±


    Cale nodded and said nothing.


    ¡°Now if you¡¯ll shut up for a minute I¡¯ll tell you that failing at this won¡¯t kill you, but it will cripple your cultivation. So pay attention. Each of the stages, Body Tempering, Mana Circuitry, Core Formation, Core Crystallization, Soul Core and Transcendence Drive all have an upper and lower stage. If you¡¯re wondering why Cultivation is so easy, it¡¯s because you¡¯re passing stages eight year olds are struggling with. But even the first bottleneck is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to get messy and there¡¯s pain,¡± Darius said. ¡°Your job is to take control. Your body will convulse as it transforms. Your job is to pull off some mind over matter shit, and assert yourself over the mana. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll break bones, tear muscles and dislocate joints. And that¡¯s getting off easy as far as failing breakthroughs go. Failing at Core formation¡­ That takes years to recover without the right meds.¡±


    ¡°Throw me another crystal,¡± Cale said.


    Darius chuckled. ¡°What a glutton. Not even a please?¡±


    Cale cracked one eye open. ¡°Really? That¡¯s how you want this to be?¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Darius said and tossed him a crystal.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Cale caught it and frowned. ¡°This is not enough.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy without a mana attuner,¡± Darius said. ¡°It¡¯s enough if you¡¯re efficient enough.¡±


    ¡°For all his numerous flaws, he is keen. You are inefficient. We should work on that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you two are piling on me.¡±


    ¡°So the infinitely wise and powerful AI agrees with me?¡± Darius asked and grinned.


    ¡°I decline to answer,¡± Cale said.


    He focused on the energy he sucked in. It was smooth and effortless to work with, but now Cale challenged himself. He looked into the mana deeper. Tried to feel it more intricately, like really focusing on the subtle use of color in a masterful painting.


    He could see that the mana inside him was not an amorphous mass that wasn¡¯t quite liquid or gas. It was made of globules. Tiny globules stacked on each other, that pulsed smoothly as if they were breathing.


    Cale had a moment of realization. He started breathing in sync with the globules. Gradually the sensation of mana inside of him grew more intimate. He now had a much more concrete understanding of how much mana he was working with.


    He sucked it and breathed rhythmically as the mana dispersed all around his body, muscles, bones, tendons, fascia, organs.


    He exhaled and let the feeling settle.


    ¡°That was excellent Cale! You¡¯ve improved your efficiency to 29%¡±


    Cale smiled victoriously and when he looked at Darius, his mentor cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You want applause?¡±


    ¡°No, but I want another crystal.¡±


    Darius let out a faux sigh and threw another one, bigger this time. ¡°What a greedy disciple.¡±


    *


    After going through four more crystals, Cale was close to the peak of third stage of Body Tempering. By now he knew something about the world that awaited outside.


    A world of corporations fighting for control over resources left behind by the Nevani. There were six major factions in total. All of them had subsidiaries, and there were small mercenary clans and rogue cultivators, but the Big Six played the real game. And Darius was an agent of the Gray Lotus Syndicate, where Cale would also start his career.


    Darius kept asking about his ability to drain mana from murderbots. It was clear that it was important to him, but he wouldn¡¯t reveal anything else but that it was unheard of and that Cale should absolutely not mention it to anyone. In general Darius suggested keeping his trap shut before he knew some basic rules of the game.


    Cale kept cultivating and draining crystals until he felt a certain saturation inside of him. He felt like he could no longer push the mana from his mana pool into his body. Like it just wouldn¡¯t accept any more. He shrugged and let the mana stay in the pool, where it settled.


    ¡°You managed to reach peak of Body Tempering three!¡± Aura said gleefully. ¡°You are ready for a breakthrough.¡±


    Cale told as much to Darius.


    ¡°That so?¡± Darius said and regarded Cale, rubbing his chin. There was an unreadable expression in the tall man¡¯s eyes. Was he impressed? Worried?


    For one thing, Darius was calculating. But he seemed to finally reach a conclusion.


    He sat down and threw a crystal at Cale. ¡°Remember kid. Assert control. There is no folding in breakthroughs. You have to play the hand you¡¯re dealt. Just don¡¯t give up.¡±


    After that, he flicked another yellow focus pill at Cale who grabbed it and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    Cale laid down on the floor and started breathing. His whole being was full to the brim with Mana, and he was struggling to keep it in. It didn¡¯t fight him, as he had attuned it correctly, but he just felt so full. It was fullness in the muscles of his arms, fullness in his stomach, a feeling of pressure about the eyes. As the focus pill enhanced his senses, he could feel the presence of millions of those tiny mana globules everywhere. It was almost too much for his mind to handle.


    ¡°Relax, Cale,¡± Aura said soothingly. ¡°This is as basic as cultivation gets. You are going to be fine.¡±


    Cale nodded and settled on the ground. He let go of his doubts. He breathed, relaxed, and accepted what was to come. Whatever it was, Cale knew it would pass. Pain? Strain? Extreme fatigue? It would pass.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to creep up on you gradually, before it hits you like a tidal wave,¡± Darius drawled. ¡°Just don¡¯t lose focus.¡±


    ¡°That we at least can agree on¡­¡± Aura muttered. ¡°Focus and breathe.¡±


    ¡°Magic breathing¡­¡± Cale muttered. ¡°It¡¯s easy. It¡¯s basic.¡±


    Cale breathed in rhythm with the pulsing globules of mana inside of him. They seemed to¡­ sense that Cale was ready. In the next instant they stopped breathing, and the rhythm inside of Cale was stilled into a heavy silence. The globules all converged in his solar plexus and got sucked into some oblivion.


    ¡°Did you take them?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Aura said. ¡°What manner of fool do you take me for? Now shush.¡±


    There was absolute silence. No commentary from Aura. Even Darius was still. There was only the eb of Cale¡¯s breath. Then the wave came.


    At first, it was a small pulse. It rippled through his body, spreading from his solar plexus. Then another pulse, stronger this time. Cale could feel his muscles tense, and his heart started pounding more urgently.


    The third pulse hurt. Cale suppressed a wince as it the pulse passed through him and rang in his brain. Before he could recover another pulse surged through him. Faster this time. More pain. Another pulse, faster. Another pulse, even faster.


    Cale started jackhammering. The pain surged through him in steady and fast pulses, his muscles contracted and the air was pushed out of his lungs as Cale started convulsing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Conquer it,¡± Darius said flatly.


    ¡°Cale¡­ I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±


    Cale listened to Darius. He pulled his hands into fists and grit his teeth, trying to force the pain down. But another pulse came and it shook him. Cale let out a gasp and could feel a warm trickle from his nose entering his mouth. The taste of iron was the least of his worries.


    Then the tidal wave came. No fast pulses, just one massive one, that overtook Cale. There was only intense pain in his muscles, his heart, his lungs, his bones. It was overwhelming. There was no controlling it. It was so profound, so true that he forgot everything. Darius was saying something, but Cale could not hear or care what it was.


    He felt and heard a crack as he slammed his fist uncontrollably on the stone floor and it broke. He screamed.


    ¡°Cale! Stop this nonsense! He is teaching you wrong. Do not attempt to control it Mana does not want to be controlled. It wants to flow. You need to synchronize with it.¡±


    Thoughts were heavy through the haze of pain and his thrashing body, but Cale managed through sheer will.


    Synchronize?


    ¡°The mana is not fighting you. It is transforming you, and you need to let it. Relax.¡±


    Cale could not fathom how he could relax, but he tried. He opened his fists, his hands still shook and his left wrist was a flash of red pain in his mind. His muscles contracted and Cale could feel the sinews strain. He exhaled and tried to ease the knot in his stomach. It loosened. Just a little bit. And the pain eased.


    Cale followed that feeling. One by one, he managed to relax his feet, legs, arms, abdominals, neck, jaw. The pain was fading. His wrist still throbbed and the pulses kept coming, pushing Cale to new convulsions, but Cale kept his calm and slowly regained the lost ground every time a wave came. And every time he inched closer and closer to full relaxation.


    ¡°Now this¡­¡± Aura said with gleeful satisfaction. ¡°This is true control. Control of the self! You are doing great, Cale!


    Cale worked at it, letting the pulses pass him, synchronizing his breathing with them. It got easier and easier. Finally, even his mind relaxed. He exhaled again. It was a beautiful serene feeling.


    ¡°You did it!¡± Aura declared with great joy. ¡°You¡¯re in Middle Body Tempering! Fourth Stage!¡±


    Cale smiled. ¡°Thanks to you.¡±


    Cale could sense Aura¡¯s flusterment. ¡°You¡ªyou managed to listen to me just this once!¡±


    Cale only smiled and enjoyed the sensation of utter peace and release. It was like waking up on a warm and sunny morning after a nightmare. Everything was right. There was no hunger, fatigue, fear, or even pain. Just release, satisfaction, contentment.


    And wetness.


    ¡°The stench is exquisite,¡± Darius said, holding his nose. ¡°Your jumpsuit is a goner.¡±


    Cale inhaled and a putrid vile reek enveloped him. Gone was the serenity, gone was the peace. He jumped up and groaned. He was covered in some black gunk. It was mostly inside his jumpsuit but also pouring out from all the cuts in it.


    ¡°Please stand away from me,¡± Darius said and took the lapelle from his suit and covered his mouth and nose with it.¡±


    Cale moved a few paces back and undressed himself. He noticed he used both hands to do it.


    My wrist¡­


    Cale lifted his hand and turned it. There was no pain, no nothing. The wrist was as good as new. Cale flexed his fingers and formed a fist.


    The sense of power was heady feeling. Cale bent his knees in a horse stance and slammed a palm into the stone floor. There was a faint crack as fracture lines formed in the polished tile.


    Cale grinned so wide his face hurt. He did a backflip. Just because. He couldn¡¯t help but to woop and throw a victorious fist in the air.


    ¡°Not the best taste in victory dances, but I¡¯ll let it pass,¡± Darius said. He unpeeled his sleeve and revealed a bracelet with a small panel. He pressed it a few times and a rectangular portal appeared. Darius put his hand in there, rummaged a little bit and produced gray suit pants and a white dress shirt.


    Cale was about to thank him, but before he got a word out, Darius sprayed a torrent of cold water with high pressure from the tip of his umbrella. Cale spluttered and fought the stream while Darius grinned like a child. Once Cale was sufficiently clean and humiliated, Darius put his umbrella away and the portal closed.


    ¡°Congratulations, kid. You¡¯ve reached the level of a particularly talented ten-year-old. Try not to let it go to your head. Now put these on.¡±


    Cale grinned and took the clothes. It was time to face the real world.

 CHAPTER 9 - CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

    After Cale put on the pants and shirt, he looked down at himself. The clothes were too big, clearly spares of Darius, but they made him feel empowered. Like he had earned them.


    Cale watched Darius as he dressed. The tall man operated his bracelet. He opened up a portal and started scooping in the crystals with his umbrella. Last he deposited the mana attuner and to Cale¡¯s surprise, Scarroid¡¯s body.


    Cale quirked an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°Will decide later what to do with his body,¡± Darius said as he closed the bracelet portal. ¡°Might sell it back to Chimera Corp if I can convince them I didn¡¯t sniff out their secrets. Might sell it to our RnD or put him into the black market. I¡¯m sure the Whispers would be interested¡­¡±


    ¡°Did he have an Integra?¡± Cale asked.


    Darius shrugged and threw a small sack of crystals at Cale. He oofed but caught it and grinned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spend it all at once,¡± Darius said. ¡°As for your question, it¡¯s for once not a completely stupid one. The tail was an Integra. But theirs are special. It was a biomechanical graft that they grew in a lab from some messed up mixture of genes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds gross,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t even get me started,¡± Darius said and nudged his head at the hole in the wall Scarroid had blasted through. ¡°Anyway, time for you to put that advancement into some use.¡±


    With a single graceful leap, a hand in his pocket, Darius jumped up fifteen feet from a standstill and landed on the edge of the bridge. Then he looked down. ¡°Remember what I said. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡±


    Cale hesitated as he looked up at the broken bridge above. ¡°Can I make the jump?¡±


    Darius shrugged. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. You¡¯ll have to risk it, because that¡¯s the only way forward, kid.¡±


    This was what it meant to become stronger, wasn¡¯t it? Not just surviving, but choosing to risk the fall. To leap, even when the odds weren¡¯t in his favor.


    Cale nodded and took a few paces back. He swallowed. He hadn¡¯t looked down again, but he knew that the abyss below went so deep he would completely explode when he hit the ground. The gap between the broken bridge and the ledge seemed immense. Impossible. Ten feet forward, fifteen feet upward. No human can make that leap.


    But I am becoming more than human¡­


    Still, he hesitated. What if he couldn¡¯t make it?


    ¡°Come on, Cale,¡± Aura said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. But it was still sassy. ¡°It¡¯s just a pit. You¡¯ve stared down murderbots and mid tier cultivators. This is easy.¡±


    Easy¡­ Sure¡­


    Cale glanced up at Darius, who stood waiting on the far side with that unimpressed expression on his face, one hand in his pocket, the other resting lazily on the curved handle of his umbrella.


    Cale nodded and sprinted. The new power surged through him and when he breathed, he routed the mana to his legs, empowering them. Every step further than the last, Cale gathered speed, until he was at the edge. From there he jumped with arms and hands flailing as he shouted. Shouted from fear, from excitement, from a sheer will to live.


    For a fleeting moment, the air rushed around him, whipping his hair and tearing at his clothes. The abyss opened below him and endless darkness ready to swallow him.


    He didn¡¯t land.


    Instead he found himself grabbing on to the ledge of the broken bridge with both of his hands. One of the handholds crumbled under his strained grip and he yelped when that hand was let free.


    He felt a lurch in his stomach, and the feeling of kicking at emptiness below him filled him with urgent dread.


    But Cale did not falter. He didn¡¯t go through pain and battle to die here. With focused muster he stopped swinging and kicking and grabbed the ledge with his free hand. He hoisted himself up and fought gravity until both of his elbows were at the edge.


    ¡°Good work, kid,¡± Darius said and offered a hand. Cale grabbed it and Darius pulled him up.


    ¡°Was half convinced I would have to go down there to retrieve what was left of you,¡± Darius remarked and flashed a lopsided grin.


    ¡°You would have liked that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Cale asked, just a smidge sullenly.


    Darius shrugged. ¡°Maybe. I have a feeling that would have saved me a dozen headaches. But I¡¯m willing to bet on you, just to see how you play.¡±


    Cale scoffed but didn¡¯t reply. He turned back to look at the gap he¡¯d just crossed. The chasm gaped silently, a void that now seemed smaller, less menacing. A grin spread across his face.


    There was only one way he would play.


    To win.


    *


    Darius guided them out of the ruins, and they passed a dozen rooms and corridors with destroyed murderbots of varying brutality. There were even a few dead goons, clearly from the same faction as Scarroid, Chimera Corporation.


    Cale wanted to stop and observe the crumbled murals and spindly spiraling pillars and clean, efficient angles of Nevani architecture, but Darius was not joking about not wasting time¡ª the man kept a blistering pace that had Cale gasping for breath when they finally got outside.


    The ruins were in the middle of a forest that had grown over structures of stone eons ago. The forest was thick with large trees of leathery leaves and thick red trunks.


    Cale looked back. The archway of stone into the Nevani ruins was buried under a mound of grass. On top of the mound grew a large knotted tree with thick roots. The roots tendriled protectively around the mound, like guarding a long forgotten dream.


    Cale stopped to look. He was a part of that forgotten world. A relic of the past, lost in the future. It made him feel lonely. At least he had Aura. They were lost together.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius called. His voice carried and filled the air. ¡°Stop daydreaming.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cale said and stumbled into a jog. ¡°Coming.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be raiding a lot of Nevani ruins, once we get some juice in you,¡± Darius said twirling the umbrella resting on his shoulder. ¡°In time you can go on your own expeditions, and waste your time sniffing old stone, if that gets your rocks off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heartened that you¡¯re so invested in me.¡±


    Darius barked a laugh. ¡°Just trying to say whatever to get you moving.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take for me to train up so I can do what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Largely up to you,¡± Darius said. ¡°You¡¯re looking at one of the most talented men in service of the largest and richest organization, The Gray Lotus Syndicate. If I think you¡¯re worth investing into, it¡¯s all up to you. But that coin comes with another side.¡±


    ¡°I need to be worthy of that investment.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦, kid,¡± Darius said. ¡°This is a quid-pro-quo arrangement. I give you a chance, and you make something out of it. You willing to do that?¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Cale smiled. ¡°Watch me.¡±


    Darius looked over his shoulder and gave Cale an assessing look. With a hint of a smile he nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Cale follow Darius through the forest. The pace Darius set with his long legs and superior cultivation was fast, but he seemed to be mindful of Cale.


    The fresh forest air was delicious. There was a hint of moisture in the air and it was a clear, chilly night. Cale did not mind the cold. It made him feel alive.


    He looked up above the canopy. A starry sky glittered at him like a million mystical diamonds. He remembered the sky from his memories. It was different, but still the same. It made him feel better. He stopped to admire the sky and wondered who he was, where he was and why this was happening to him.


    The ruins had been dark, cold, and filled with death and uncertainty. But out here, under the stars, the air was clean, the sky wide and full of possibility. For the first time, Cale felt the weight of the world he was stepping into¡ªa world that had no place for fools. But that was fine. He would be fine.


    I survived. I grew. I had to suffer through pain and fear. I had to push forward in a world completely alien to me. I had to kill a man in cold blood to advance. All of this I did. And now I am stronger. But this is only the beginning, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m a small fry, and I barely know anything yet. Scarroid won¡¯t be the last hard choice I make, won¡¯t it? I will have keep growing.


    ¡°Was it right to kill Scarroid..?¡± Cale whispered to himself.


    ¡°You made the right choice,¡± Aura said. ¡°Had you hesitated, you would have died.¡±


    They travelled a short while until they reached a forest opening, in the center of which stood a ship. It had a sleek, efficient design and glowing blue and green runic patterns dotted it. Shaped like a fat missile with wings, jet black and a flat underbelly, that glowed with mana.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Aura said excitedly. ¡°Those sigils are for flight and speed. I shall memorize them, in case you some day reach an aptitude that allows their use. Unlikely, but I try to stay optimistic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely your winning feature,¡± Cale muttered.


    ¡°I only get one?!¡±


    ¡°I like your healing too,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°About that,¡± Darius said and turned, his face fixed on him intently. ¡°No word about that either. Not even to the mortals.¡±


    ¡°Mortals?¡±


    Two beautiful women dressed in pencil skirts and vests that revealed their slender shoulders stepped outside the ship, in the middle of them a man, almost as dapperly dressed as Darius. He bowed deep to Darius.


    ¡°Master Darius,¡± the man in the middle said smoothly. ¡°You have returned from your expedition.¡±


    ¡°Sure have,¡± Darius said, thumbing at Cale. ¡°Brought some souvenirs too.¡±


    ¡°I see that all that came have not returned,¡± the man said. ¡°Shall we wait?¡±


    ¡°The Chimera Corporation representatives couldn¡¯t make it,¡± Darius said and grinned. ¡°They bit off more than they can chew. Me.¡±


    The man blinked, but gave no other expression. ¡°Very good, sir. We shall be leaving immediately.¡±


    ¡°Good man,¡± Darius said and produced a small mana crystal and gave it to the man. His eyes went wide and he grabbed it with both of his hands. Cale could see it was hard for him to keep his composure.


    ¡°Thank you deeply, lord Darius,¡± the man said and bowed again. ¡°Please sit down in the lounge and the staff will bring refreshments.¡±


    *


    The interior of the jet was luxurious. The walls were lined with smooth, dark panels that shimmered faintly with embedded sigils, casting a soft, ambient glow. A strip of blue light ran along the edges of the ceiling, highlighting polished floors that gleamed like obsidian. Plush leather sofas, trimmed with silver stitching, flanked a low table made of crystal-clear glass. Every surface radiated quiet opulence, exuding both comfort and a sense of technological superiority.


    Cale and Darius sat on opposite sofas, the table between them loaded with an impressive spread of pastries, fruits, deli cuts, and cheeses. Cale didn¡¯t hesitate. The moment he sat down, he attacked the table like a starving wolf, shoving half a pastry into his mouth while reaching for a slice of cheese with his other hand. This was one of those rare moments Cale wished he had a third hand. And a second mouth.


    Flakes of pastry crust scattered across his lap as he tore into a juicy orange, juice dribbling down his chin. His focus was singular, the rest of the room forgotten as he devoured whatever was within reach, chewing with the ferocity of someone who hadn¡¯t eaten in days.


    Darius leaned back on the sofa, watching Cale tear into the food. With a faint smirk, he took a sip of coffee. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d picked up a stray. You¡¯re one missed meal away from chewing the upholstery, kid.¡±


    Cale didn¡¯t bother acknowledging the remark. He was too busy stuffing deli meat down his gullet.


    ¡°For all your numerous faults, I had no idea you had absolutely no table manners to boot! What a disgrace.¡±


    ¡°My AI thinks I¡¯m a pig too,¡± Cale said between bites.


    Darius gave him an amused look and pointed a finger at his face. ¡°You got a little something there¡­ No¡­ the other side¡­ yeah there too. Everywhere actually.¡±


    Cale finished eating and one of the women came up to fill Darius¡¯s coffee cup. Cale noticed that her hands were trembling and she looked nervous. She brushed away a lock of brown hair off her face and looked at Darius expectantly with hands behind her back.


    ¡°Thank you dear,¡± Darius said and looked at the woman intently. ¡°You¡¯re a new face. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°L-Lucinda, sir.¡±


    ¡°Do cultivators make you nervous, Lucinda?¡± Darius asked, sipping on the coffee.


    ¡°Not usually, sir. It¡¯s just¡­ I have heard of you.¡±


    ¡°All good, I hope,¡± Darius said and kept his gaze until Lucinda blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lucinda. I don¡¯t bite.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª thank you, sir. Would you like anything else?¡±


    ¡°That will be all, Lucinda,¡± Darius said and turned back to watching Cale who was still shoveling food in his face.


    After Cale had thwarted the worst of his hunger he leaned back and sighed contently. ¡°Ah, that did the trick. So where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Gray Lotus HQ,¡± Darius said brusquely. ¡°There you¡¯ll need to follow a few rules.¡± He looked behind him to see if the mortals were within earshot. They weren¡¯t so he leaned forward. ¡°You keep that Integra and its abilities to yourself. This shit needs to be on a need-to-know basis, or you¡¯re going to end up as deli meat. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Aura said. ¡°Sometimes this big oaf of a man manages to be astute. Keeping me secret will give you protection. If there is one thing you do not want to do as a cultivator is to stand out and be weak!¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Cale said and wiped his flaky pastry hands on the dress shirt.


    ¡°And never let me see you do that to your uniform ever again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Cale said. ¡°This is yours, not mine.¡±


    Darius rubbed his forehead. ¡°Keep it¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything else I need to know?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Too much, kid,¡± Darius said. ¡°The thing about special or secret abilities. Like I said, every cultivator needs one. If you don¡¯t got one, why are you even playing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compete without an edge.¡±


    Darius raised an eyebrow. ¡°By the old ones, I have a disciple who listens. ¡°That Integra you have? The wrong people find out, and you¡¯re dead. Or worse. The Nevani didn¡¯t just play the game, they wrote the rules. It¡¯s mostly old monsters that have old tech inside of them. You need to be very careful of who you trust in my world. The answer to that question? Trust no one.¡±


    ¡°Not even you?¡±


    Darius smiled enigmatically. ¡°You can trust my motives. If there¡¯s one thing I do well, it¡¯s stacking the deck. I¡¯ve created a win-win situation for me. If you screw up, I¡¯m going to dig Aura out of you. If you manage to actually become a player, I¡¯ll reap the rewards.¡±


    ¡°What rewards?¡±


    ¡°The way this works is that you¡¯re my direct associate. I recruited you. So when I put you into the academy and you start getting jobs, I get a slice from each of your successes. You do that for fifty-sixty years for me, and you¡¯ll make us both rich.¡±


    ¡°The academy?¡±


    ¡°Corussi Academy. Heart of the Skyreach city. It¡¯s where all operatives from all the big six factions go for education,¡± Darius said and looked at the coffee in his cup. ¡°You¡¯ll learn the ropes there, maybe even stay there if you have the guts¡­ Now¡¯s not the time to get into it. We¡¯ll need to get you stronger before you can apply.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯ll get a cut of all my work? What happens if I surpass you?¡± Cale asked and watched Darius for a reaction.


    He burst out laughing. A loud hearty laugh straight from the belly. Darius slammed his fist on the table, and Cale was surprised the glass didn¡¯t shatter. ¡°Good one, kid. I really enjoy your spirit. First of all, I¡¯ll keep getting a slice even if you surpass me. It¡¯s part of the organization design. Secondly¡­ Good luck with that.¡±


    Darius tilted his head and watched Cale. ¡°So what did you just learn?¡±


    Cale chewed on his lip for a bit, trying to read through the lines. ¡°It¡¯s every man out for themselves. Don¡¯t trust anyone unless you can understand their motives, ally or foe.¡±


    Darius nodded slowly. The amused smirk never left his lips, but there was a tinge of respect behind those quietly laughing eyes. ¡°You might just make it. Having said not to trust anyone, you¡¯re a fool if you try to play games of power alone. Make alliances, get leverage on people, both carrot and stick. Be mindful of your peers. There¡¯s rivals, allies, enemies, friends, anything in between in the academy. It¡¯s a melting pot of ways to play the game. You¡¯ll quickly find out if your way to play works or not. But if it doesn¡¯t, you might not get a second chance.¡±


    ¡°Bah! With my help, we¡¯ll rewrite their rules, not play by them. Soon our time will come, an immortal reign of terror! They will bow to me!¡± Aura declared in a shrill voice.


    ¡°Calm down, you demon,¡± Cale said and laughed. ¡°Until then, I have to learn the rules,¡±


    Darius raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aura?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cale said. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to keep saying things out of pocket, so you should get used to it.¡±


    Darius nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, you do need to learn the rules. Here¡¯s another rule: Don¡¯t talk to yourself like that unless you¡¯re in the right company. Which is no one in the academy.¡±


    ¡°Got it. When will I go to the academy?¡± Cale asked, stifling a yawn.


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll need to get you trained up first. Have you go on missions, get experience, and cultivate further. It won¡¯t be tomorrow,¡± Darius said and then produced a piece of glass from his pocket. He tapped it and numbers and letters started dancing on the surface. Darius opened some files and started reading them.


    After a minute he looked at Cale under his brows. ¡°I need to present you to my boss when we arrive in four hours. My boss isn¡¯t as patient as I am, so make sure you don¡¯t embarrass me. Get some rest, kid.¡±


    Cale didn¡¯t have to be told twice. He pulled a lever that kicked the seat back and sighed as sleep took him immediately.

 CHAPTER 10 - SKYRISE CITY

    A hard tap on Cale¡¯s forehead jolted him awake.


    "Rise and shine, kid."


    Cale groaned and cracked open one eye. Darius loomed over him, coffee in one hand, umbrella resting against his shoulder.


    ¡°Already?¡± Cale muttered.


    Darius smirked. ¡°Figured you might want to see this.¡±


    Cale rubbed his eyes and stretched. The hum of the ship¡¯s engines was different now¡ªsmoother, softer. They weren¡¯t tearing through the sky anymore. They were gliding.


    He sat up, and the first thing he saw was the window.


    His breath hitched.


    Through the curved glass, an impossible megalopolis stretched across the sky.


    A city so massive it defied reason¡ªfloating like an ancient god¡¯s throne. Layer upon layer of metal, glass, and stone reach out into the heavens. They were high above the clouds, and Cale saw what a massive shadow the city imposed on the faraway grasslands.


    Hundreds¡ªno, thousands¡ªof ships darted between colossal skyports, lights of blue, green, orange and red blinking from sprawling highways suspended in the air.


    Farther out, six districts floated independently, tethered to the main city by energy bridges. That was where the highest buildings were. Towering monoliths of steel and glass, skyscrapers line with glowing mana.


    The middle portion of the giant city dominated the sky. It was stouter than the districts, but vast and labyrinthine. Cale could recognize the sleek and complex designs were distinctly Nevani. The sheer size of it was overwhelming. It was at that moment that Cale definitely realized that he was not of this world.


    "¡­Holy shit," Cale murmured.


    Darius sipped his coffee. "Yeah, it has that effect on people."


    ¡°Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair¡­¡± Cale muttered to himself.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Darius said with piqued curiosity. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Cale said with his forehead still pressed to the cool glass.


    With struggle, Cale tore his eyes away from the city to look at him. "It¡¯s a¡ªit''s a whole damn country in the sky. How the hell does this even exist?"


    ¡°What a masterwork¡­¡± Aura sighed wistfully.


    "Nobody knows. All we know is to keep it running.¡± Darius said and leaned on the frame of the window, eyes flicking across the city like he was seeing an old rival. "And the cost to keep it running¡­ You wouldn¡¯t believe the obscene amount of mana this thing needs. All those crystals we found? Yeah, we don¡¯t get to keep the whole pile.¡±


    Cale¡¯s gaze was magnetized back towards the window. "And each wing of the city belongs to one of the Big Six? Gray Lotus owns one of those massive spokes?¡±


    Darius smirked. "Smart kid. But we don''t just own the wing. We own reality within."


    Cale kept taking it all in.


    ¡°See those layers?¡± Darius said. ¡°Below the skyport? That¡¯s where the mortals live. They keep the ship running and food on our table. They¡¯re weak, but not entirely worthless.¡±


    Cale could imagine the millions of lives needed to keep the ship in the air and food on the table. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the size of all the industry. If cultivators owned all of this, they were rich beyond measure.


    ¡°The middle part of the city?¡± Darius continued. ¡°That¡¯s where the fun begins. That¡¯s the academy. You¡¯ll go there soon enough, once we get you through the entrance exams. First years you¡¯ll spend in the bosom of Gray Lotus fighting for prestige and scraps with your rivals. But if you get strong enough¡­ You get to enter the neutral zone, that¡¯s fought over by all the factions. There are still hidden Nevani secrets there that get fought over.¡±


    ¡°How old this the city? Why haven¡¯t all the Nevani artifacts been scrounged?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Good question,¡± Darius said. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Cale waited. He could be sure that Darius would go off on a self-indulgent rant.


    And indeed he did. ¡°See, the middle where the schools are is a special kind of reality. Full of pocket dimensions, teleports to sites we have never found. The Corussi Academy is not only for students. Even I drop by sometimes, when I need to score contribution credits, or complete missions.¡±


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t you stay there?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± Darius said.


    ¡°I thought you were the risk taking guy.¡±


    ¡°I am when it¡¯s a good idea. But it¡¯s harder to stack the deck in Corussi. Things are always in flux and chaos. It¡¯s a zone of changing alliances, proxy wars and assassinations. That¡¯s where the heat is hottest. I will return soon, but right now It¡¯s not in the cards.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a school of hard knocks,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Darius said. ¡°But your job right now is the survive the kindergarten of hard knocks.¡±


    Cale swallowed and nodded. He looked down on the megastructure. This wasn¡¯t just some city.


    It was the heart of the cultivator world. It was the world¡¯s most dangerous place.


    And he was about to walk straight into it.


    *


    They landed and were greeted by the flight staff. The captain was as smooth as ever as Darius paid him and bid goodbye. Cale noticed that the other woman, Lucinda, was slightly dissheveled with her vest slightly crumpled and hair just a touch out of place. Darius winked at her and she flushed from head to toe. Cale gave Darius a look, but the tall man only smirked as they left.


    They walked out of the skyport and Cale could see just how tall the dark gray skyscraper dominating the district was. Cale craned his neck and could see the tip of the large building far above in the sky, where mortal eyes couldn¡¯t reach.


    Darius stopped and opened his umbrella. ¡°Alright, kid. I got some shit to take care of. Meet me in my office.¡±


    With that, the rim of the umbrella flared up in a soft blue glow and Darius lifted off his feet.


    ¡°Wait what?¡± Cale asked. ¡°You¡¯re ditching me?¡±


    ¡°Floor two hundred and ninety nine,¡± Darius called, already twenty feet in the air. ¡°Enjoy the city.¡±


    Cale exhaled, watching the blue glow of Darius¡¯s umbrella fade as he drifted toward the dark monolith. The city loomed around him¡ªloud, unfamiliar, and impossibly vast. People bustled past without sparing him a glance, airships hummed overhead, and somewhere in the distance, a mechanical voice droned out directions towards places he couldn¡¯t understand.


    He was alone. Really alone.


    ¡°That impudent, rude, obtuse hunk of a man!¡± Aura muttered furiously. ¡°How dare he leave us to our own devices in this place? The building is miles away!¡±


    Cale smiled. Well, not really alone. ¡°Did you just call him a hunk?¡±


    ¡°What?! No! I meant punk! Anyway, stop stalling and get moving. I want to see what my creators built.¡±


    Cale sighed and looked around. ¡°Alright, where the hell do I even start?¡±


    A massive holographic sign flickered overhead, displaying symbols he couldn¡¯t read. Below it, people in sleek, stylized robes with various strange gear about them. One woman had a tiny arm extending from the side of her head that held a plate of glass in front of her face. Numbers were running on it as she spoke animatedly on a device at her wrist. Two youngsters with sunglasses glowing with Mana raced each other on one of the landing pads with skateboards without wheels. They hovered a feet off the ground.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    A small chopper was hovering soundlessly above, its rotors a swirl of blue luminescent light. A disgruntled overweight guard waved a baton at the kids who laughed and raced away.


    Cale took a deep breath. If he stood here looking lost for too long, he was going to stick out.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re exploring,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Ooh! Can we get one of those hoverboards?¡±


    Cale chuckled and patted at the tiny sack of crystals in his pocket. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    *


    Cale weaved through the crowd, trying not to look too lost. The streets were wide, packed with people in robes, patched jackets, engineer¡¯s jumpsuits and glowing gadgets. There were giant billboards everywhere, high and large, advertising toothpastes, hoverboards, dried shrimp powder and anything in between. Overhead walkways criss-crossed above, some carrying streams of pedestrians, others filled with racing drones carrying packets and parcels.


    The city had layers¡ªliterally. The ground Cale walked on wasn¡¯t even the ground, just one of many platforms stacked on top of each other.


    Aura hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm. I have some data about this city, even a map. But the architecture has changed too much.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Cale muttered. ¡°So much for you being my guide.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you coming up with any brilliant ideas.¡±


    Cale ignored her and stopped when he spotted something interesting.


    A hoverboard shop.


    A row of sleek, floating boards hovered just outside the storefront. Some were compact and simple, while others were decked out in glowing accents and enchanted thrusters with the same sigils for flight and speed as Cale had seen on the jet, just smaller. A few had sharp, angular designs like they were built for racing.


    ¡°Ooooh,¡± Aura cooed. ¡°We are definitely getting one.¡±


    Cale hesitated. He had a small sack of crystals, but spending them on something unnecessary wasn¡¯t smart. Then again, walking miles through a city this large wasn¡¯t smart either.


    A saleswoman in a high-collared jumpsuit spotted him eyeing the boards. She smiled wide and friendly. ¡°First time?¡±


    Cale nodded. ¡°What¡¯s a good one for a beginner?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°The more expensive they are, the smoother they fly.¡±


    Cale narrowed his eyes. ¡°I can handle myself.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± the woman said. ¡°The Street Sleeter 2.0 is on sale. You got creds or cash?¡±


    ¡°I have these,¡± Cale said and carefully plucked a mana crystal from his pocket. The shopkeeper''s eyes flashed wide.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cultivator?¡± Her hands disappeared beneath the counter before she could stop herself and she took a step back.


    Cale smiled. Looked like he had just gained a haggling advantage. ¡°Just at upper Body Tempering.¡±


    The clerk nodded nervously and clearly waited for Cale to dictate how this would play out.


    ¡°Look, just relax. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re used to, but I just want to buy and get on with my day. Tell you what. Tell me what this is worth in ¡®creds¡¯ and I¡¯ll buy a board from you and that¡¯s all she wrote. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The clerk seemed to relax a little and took a step closer to the counter, meekly pressing her hands into her pockets. ¡°Jeny.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jeny,¡± Cale said and placed the bean-sized blue crystal on the counter. ¡°What¡¯s this worth?¡±


    She looked at it with clear greed, mustered some courage and picked it up. She looked up at Cale cautiously, but he only smiled and nodded encouragingly. Jeny seemed to relax.


    ¡°This full?¡± she asked.


    Cale nodded.


    ¡°This size and quality, it¡¯s worth three thousand creds. It won''t get you a top shelf professional racer, but I¡¯ll set you up with the latest Star Streaker for two-eight-ninety-nine creds. That alright, sir?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be perfect, Jeny. You can keep the change.¡±


    A flash of excitement flashed on Jeny¡¯s face and she bowed. ¡°Thanks so much, sir. I¡¯ll get you sorted in a jiff. Gimme a minute to calibrate the board.¡±


    ¡°No rush.¡± Cale leaned back against the counter, watching the city move outside.


    *


    Cale rode through the streets, getting used to the hoverboard. It was three feet in length, one foot wide with a small turbine in the back. Oh, and it was neon pink. Cale just had to get one. He had a feeling that was the best color to annoy Darius.


    Using the hoverboard was surprisingly intuitive, since it was mostly reacting to Cale¡¯s shifts of balance, while keeping the speed steady. Just behind his backfoot were two pedals; one for speed, one for altitude. It took some test driving in front of the hoverboard shop, but Cale quickly got the hang of it. Soon enough he jumped into the traffic. With his cultivator¡¯s senses it was easy to weave around the crowds.


    As per Jeny¡¯s instruction, Cale had fed the engine below the board one of his mana crystals. According to the shopkeep, it should keep the engine running for weeks. After he got to Mana Circuitry, he could power the hoverboard with his own mana, and would gain significantly more control over the vehicle.


    It¡¯s responding plenty well for street riding, at least.


    They were moving at maybe twenty miles an hour, hell at this point, Cale could run faster. But that didn¡¯t stop Aura from being excited.


    ¡°Wooop! This is amazing! Faster! Faster I tell yeeeeeeeee!¡±


    Then he saw something that made him slow down.


    An older man in a dirty jumpsuit and a toolbox was bowing low in front of a young cultivator. The cultivator was wearing blue suit pants, black shoes and a white dress shirt under a blue vest. A silver lotus emblem glinted on his vest¡ªa simple design, but its craftsmanship was impossibly fine. On his hand glinted an ostentatious ring with a blue gemstone.


    His blonde hair was styled back with wax and face contorted with disgust and anger. He looked barely older than Cale. He was about to rush to interject before Aura used her [Sense Mana] and told Cale that this cultivator was at the first stage of Mana Circuitry.


    ¡°Blue suit AND black shoes? Hah, no wonder he is chronically angry.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Cale hissed.


    The mortal was shaking. ¡°Please, young master, it was just an accident. I¡ª


    The cultivator scoffed and pointed an ornate gray and silver gun at the old guy¡¯s forehead. Two sigils flashed lightly as the cultivator cocked back the hammer. The weapon whined as energy gathered at the tip of the barrel. His hand didn¡¯t even tremble at the trigger. In fact, the cultivator looked almost bored.


    He¡¯s done this before. A lot.


    Cale clenched his jaw.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for excuses,¡± the cultivator said flatly. ¡°You should know to keep out of the way of your betters.¡±


    The mortal fell to his knees and scrambled to grovel. The people walking past barely spared him a glance. A few quickened their steps, averted their eyes. Everyone gave the scene a wide berth. Nobody wanted to be next. The young man watched the groveling and sneered.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± the old man said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please, just¡­ have mercy¡­¡±


    Cale¡¯s hands curled into fists.


    Aura¡¯s voice was tight. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t.¡±


    Cale exhaled slowly. Not the time to play the hero. He wasn''t stupid¡ª He wasn¡¯t about to get himself killed five minutes after getting into the city. He wondered if that guy was from the Gray Lotus.


    He is wearing a suit¡­


    ¡°You think we will see him again?¡±


    ¡°I hope not,¡± Cale said as he turned away from the scene and placed the hoverboard in front of him. Suddenly the ride wasn¡¯t so exciting.


    He didn¡¯t like this place.


    Not one bit.


    *


    Cale pushed forward, navigating the busier district streets. He was getting a little more comfortable on the hoverboard, dodging between pedestrians and floating delivery drones like he belonged here.


    Then, out of nowhere¡ª


    A light tap on his pocket.


    Cale barely caught the flash of a hand before someone yanked his crystal pouch and bolted.


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    The thief was just a kid. Small, fast, and already weaving through the crowd.


    Cale kicked off the ground, his hoverboard humming as he launched forward. The thief was jumping over crates, sliding under railings, but Cale had the advantage of speed.


    ¡°You little¡ª¡± Cale growled, narrowing the distance.


    The thief darted into an alleyway.


    Cale followed.


    The second he entered the alley he smelled trouble.


    The thief wasn¡¯t alone.


    Three figures stepped out of the shadows. Rough-looking guys, all wearing scuffed leather vests and carrying some kind of crude weaponry¡ªone had a large jagged knife, another a rusted pipe, and the last one¡­ well, his fists were big enough to count.


    The small thief threw the pouch at the largest one, who caught it. Then the little cutpurse darted behind the thugs.


    The biggest thug in the middle grinned, tossing the crystal pouch between his hands. ¡°Idiot. You actually followed him.¡±


    Cale shrugged. ¡°Yeah. That was dumb.¡±


    The biggest thug cracked his knuckles. ¡°Too late now.¡±


    They rushed him.


    Cale moved.


    He ducked under the first swing, his hoverboard sliding him effortlessly beneath the pipe-wielder¡¯s attack.


    They¡¯re so slow¡­


    Pivoting hard, he kicked the edge of the board, sending it flipping straight into the guy¡¯s face.


    CRACK.


    The thug staggered, blood spurting from his nose. Cale caught the board on the rebound and slammed the edge into his gut.


    The guy dropped.


    The knife-wielder lunged. Cale dodged, twisting to the side as the blade grazed his sleeve. He caught the guy¡¯s wrist mid-stab, twisted hard, broke the wrist, and sent him flying over his shoulder.


    THUD.


    Two down.


    The third one¡ªthe big one¡ªlooked pissed. He charged, swinging those hams for fists.


    Cale ducked, slammed his foot onto the hoverboard, and shot forward, twisting his entire body into a solid right hook.


    His fist met jaw. Cale could feel the jaw shatter and crumble under his attack.


    The guy stumbled back muffledly moaning into his hands. Cale followed up with a rising knee to the ribs.


    Big guy hit the ground like a sack of bricks.


    Silence.


    Aura was livid. ¡°Ha! Take that barbarians. You dare?! You must be fools to court death! Bow, BOW before Aura the Mighty!¡±


    Cale exhaled, rolling his shoulder. ¡°Damn, that felt good.¡±


    The thief stared, eyes wide. Then, without a word, ran for his life.


    Cale picked up his crystal pouch. ¡°Smart kid.¡±


    He looked around the alley. Not exactly a venue he enjoyed. Cale felt like he had had quite enough of the less savory aspects of the city. He wondered if he should call someone to help the thugs get some medical help, but on one hand, they really didn¡¯t deserve any. Cale hoped they¡¯d learn something from this, but he doubted it.


    He got out of the alley and looked up to see that the dark gray behemoth of a skyscraper was looming fairly close, only a mile or so away. Cale hopped on his hoverboard and started making his way towards a new life.

 CHAPTER 11 - THE GRAY LOTUS HEADQUARTERS

    Cale rode the hoverboard up the winding skyway, feeling the city change around him.


    The lower tiers had been a chaotic sprawl¡ªholographic billboards screaming for attention, food vendors shouting over the hum of engines, the constant press of mortals desperate to carve out a living. But up here? Stillness. Silence.


    The noises faded. The streets widened. The air smelled¡­ cleaner.


    Ahead of him Cale saw a massive energy bridge stretched across the sky, connecting the bustling lower districts to a higher platform. Cale slowed the hoverboard as he approached. Unlike the lower city¡¯s neon grime, this platform gleamed with immaculateness¡ªpristine white stone inlaid with flowing silver sigils, each one softly pulsing with mana. There were no cracks, no wear, no grime. It looked untouched by time.


    Cale hesitated for half a second. Then he pushed forward.


    The second he crossed the energy bridge, the shift was immediate.


    It was another world.


    The sky opened wide, free of the thick smog and metal walkways that choked the lower districts. Towering marble statues loomed in the distance, floating serenely in the air lifted by some ornate mana device attached at the base. Trees lined the roads¡ªactual trees¡ªalthough, Cale had never seen trees quite like it. Their trunks were a deep obsidian black and the leaves a glimmering silver.


    ¡°My [Mana Sense] is being overwhelmed,¡± Aura said in breathless wonder. ¡°If you just drank from a single tree, you would advance immediately to Body Tempering stage five.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do anything crazy, before we know the rules better.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Aura said and huffed. ¡°And we must keep my abilities hidden. We can¡¯t have you snogging up trees without a plausible explanation.¡±


    ¡°If someone asks, I could tell them I¡¯m a tree massagist,¡± Cale suggested.


    ¡°How ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°This place is ridiculous,¡± Cale said. ¡°But¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but to wonder. Stare at the undeniable magnificence of it all. Cale let his gaze wander from the perfect marble tiling to the immaculate, intricately sculpted topiaries that dotted the grounds with an almost arrogant elegance.


    And in the center of it all¡ª


    A colossal garden, suspended in the sky.


    Cale¡¯s hoverboard glided to a slow stop at the entrance, unable to help but stare.


    The garden was a masterwork of impossible beauty. Lush terraces cascaded in careful layers, streams of water flowing down from the edges, feeding into crystal-clear ponds where strange, luminescent fish swam lazily. Statues of robed and hooded figures loomed over the pathways, their hands outstretched as if holding the sky itself.


    High above, pink, purple and blue petals drifted lazily from vibrant cherry trees, untouched by the wind, as if each fall was carefully orchestrated. The air itself felt richer, charged with something more than just oxygen.


    Mana.


    Cale inhaled. He didn¡¯t need Aura to verify this time. It was all around him. The density of it lacing the air. If the lower city was starved for power, the grounds of the Gray Lotus bathed in it.


    And there, at the garden¡¯s heart¡ª


    A skyscraper so immense it looked like it could pierce through the very sky into space itself.


    The Gray Lotus Headquarters loomed before him.


    Its surface was seamless, reflective, an obsidian monolith of absolute dominance. Unlike the ostentatious garden, the building itself was almost plain, but no less impressive.


    It bore no logos, no lights, no unnecessary embellishments. It was pure function. Pure power. The only marking was a single, silver emblem of the Lotus, pulsing faintly against the glass-like surface above massive double doors at the entrance.


    Cale exhaled.


    It felt¡­ wrong for him to be here. He didn¡¯t belong in his oversized dress shirt and messy, dirty demeanor.


    Everything about this place radiated untouchable, effortless superiority¡ªa stark contrast to the desperate, struggling world below. He felt it in the way cultivators walked through the garden, dressed in impeccable suits and robes, their steps light, graceful, deliberate. One of them bore a strange Integra, a set of four giant metal rings floating on each of her sides. She caught his eye lazily before stepping on a glowing platform and vanishing in a surge of mana.


    No one here rushed. No one here fought for scraps.


    They already had everything.


    Cale glanced down at himself¡ªcrumpled shirt, dust-streaked pants, a pink hoverboard tucked under his arm. His fingers curled around the edge of the board.


    He felt very acutely that he didn¡¯t belong here.


    Screw it. I will make it my business to belong. Whatever it takes.


    He pushed forward.


    The main entrance loomed ahead¡ªa pair of enormous gates, guarded by two enforcers in polished gray that made them look twice as tall and wide. It was laden with ornate patterns and sigils.


    Magic power armor, huh?


    Each of them seemed to be unarmed, but Cale could only guess what kinds of Integra weapons they hid. They didn¡¯t move their heads an inch, when Cale approached, but their eyes followed him.


    Cale swallowed.


    ¡°They¡¯re both at upper Mana Circuitry,¡± Aura said. ¡°I think fifth or sixth stage.¡±


    ¡°A little scary,¡± Cale muttered.


    He stepped forward, walking up the long path leading to the main doors. The closer he got, the more out of place he felt. He peeked inside


    Everyone inside walked with purpose.


    Important and busy-looking executives walked past in sharp suits, followed by prim assistants carrying glowing glass tablets. Women wore powerful colors and fashion dresses, and men competed in how busy they looked as they power-walked through the lobby walking animatedly into an earpiece.


    And then there was him in all his scruffy glory.


    This was Darius¡¯s territory, but it sure as hell wasn¡¯t his.


    Not yet. But I¡¯ll make it mine.


    One of the guards turned to Cale when he approached, a sharp-eyed man with short silver hair.


    Cale kept his voice even. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Darius Roas.¡±


    The guard nodded, tapping a wristpiece. A soft chime rang out, and after a brief pause, the massive doors unlocked with a low hum.


    ¡°Go straight in. Reception¡¯s ahead.¡±


    Cale stepped inside.


    The interior of Gray Lotus HQ was just as overwhelming as the outside.


    The lobby was massive, but uncluttered, lined with smooth black stone and minimalist silver inlays. Cale dodged around the power-walking busy bodies and asked the receptionist for the elevators. She looked at him up and down suspiciously, before lifting a thumb to her left. Cale followed and saw two large elevators and he walked towards them. He saw no buttons, just a single, sleek interface on the wall, glowing with a simple prompt:


    STATE YOUR FLOOR.


    Cale approached, voice steady.


    ¡°Two hundred and ninety-nine.¡±


    A soft chime. A doorway slid open, revealing a perfectly silent elevator.


    Cale stepped inside. Silver mirrors on each side, and the floor and ceiling made of gleaming obsidian. Simple, stylish.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A single light pulsed as the elevator began its ascent¡ªsmooth, fast, soundless.


    Cale¡¯s fingers drummed against his hoverboard. The sense of wrongness hadn¡¯t left him.


    He realized he had entered a dangerous world.


    ¡°Hmph! These modern cultivators. Think they are something special, but they are just children compared to my creators!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cale said. ¡°I think this is all pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°You are just easily impressed,¡± Aura chided. ¡°As evident by being charmed by that horrible, awful, specimen of a man.¡±


    ¡°Specimen?¡±


    ¡°Never mind you!¡± Aura quickly said. ¡°What does he want?¡±


    ¡°Power, I think. Games. I think I¡¯ll be a pawn of some sort. Or at the very least an asset to be groomed and used.¡±


    ¡°Pawns get sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Cale said as he watched the numbers blur upwards on a small panel. ¡°But that¡¯s the way to get a foot in the door.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Aura said sagely. ¡°So you plan on making yourself invaluable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Cale said. ¡°Sacrificial pawns are one thing. But nobody wants to kill the golden goose.¡±


    ¡°What if you are never given the chance?¡±


    Cale frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll carve out a chance for myself.¡±


    ¡°Impressive drive. But it''s a dangerous game.¡±


    ¡°This whole thing is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You sound like Darius already.¡±


    ¡°He does make good points.¡±


    The elevator chimed, floor numbers flashing past faster than he expected.


    Aura sighed dramatically. ¡°You¡¯re still wearing that shirt, by the way.¡±


    Cale looked down at his rumpled, oversized, dust-streaked clothes. ¡°They¡¯ll get used to me.¡±


    ¡°Or they will eat you alive.¡±


    Cale smirked. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give them indigestion.¡±


    Aura laughed. ¡°For all your numerous faults, you are entertaining. I am glad to have bonded with you, Cale.¡±


    ¡°Likewise. Would suck to face all this alone.¡±


    The elevator slowed. A soft chime.


    The doors slid open¡ª


    Cale stepped into the upper offices of the Gray Lotus.


    The hallway was silent, polished, almost eerily empty. A long stretch of smooth onyx floors and matte silver walls, lined with thin vertical strips of light that pulsed gently with an unseen rhythm.


    People were rushing about back and forth here as well. Each of them either talking with each other as they walked or into an earpiece. Cale listened to the conversations as he observed the floor.


    ¡°No. Tell him if he wants a contract, he¡¯ll pay triple.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an experimental Integra. Killed two who tried to attune to it. RnD wants either the tech or my ass. I don¡¯t care who has it currently, get it. Hire the Whispers.¡±


    ¡°We should have killed him when we had the chance. He¡¯ll sell it to the Gilded Gear.¡±


    The words weren¡¯t whispered. Just stated. Casual. Cale clenched his jaw and kept moving.


    Cale wandered around the obsidian walls and large glass offices. Some people cast a curious glance at him, but they were too busy with their own business. Eventually Cale saw a corner office with large letters etched on the door.


    Darius Roas, Executive Operator


    Before Cale could walk in, he was interjected with a sharp voice from his left.


    ¡°And where do you think you are going?¡±


    Cale turned midstep to see a blonde young woman getting up from her chair behind a black marble desk. She was wearing a stylish blue blouse, a gray pencil skirt and a mirthless smile with eyes fixed like a hawk on Cale.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see Darius,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to wait for Darius.¡±


    Cale raised his hands up and wandered towards the closest couch, and sat on it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she snapped. ¡°Who told you you could sit down?¡±


    Cale froze and almost instinctively got up, before he forced himself to relax.


    Power games¡­ Even with the damn secretary.


    The secretary smirked, watching him flinch. ¡°Cute. I¡¯ll give you three out of five for that performance.¡±


    Cale rolled his eyes. ¡°And what do I call my judge?¡±


    She leaned back, as if amused. ¡°Fiara.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to make me comfortable while I wait for your boss, Fiara?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Fiara said nonchalantly. ¡°If you¡¯re someone important. You don¡¯t look important.¡±


    ¡°Yet,¡± Cale said.


    She smiled at that. A genuine one this time. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cale. Darius¡¯s new disciple.¡±


    ¡°Huh, too bad,¡± Fiara said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be taller.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be less of a pain in my ass, but you don¡¯t see me complaining.¡±


    ¡°Quick with the mouth,¡± she said, looking Cale up and down. ¡°I think they¡¯ll eat you alive here.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Cale said and gave her a shit eating grin. ¡°Means I won¡¯t be stuck with you.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, puppy got bark,¡± she said and smirked. ¡°We¡¯ll see if you got the bite to match it.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius said, striding past the desk towards his office, umbrella swinging with every step. ¡°Quit flirting with my secretary and come to my office.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Fiara turned back to her monitor, the blue glare flickering in her eyes. If Cale hadn¡¯t been watching closely, he might¡¯ve missed the way her lips pressed together¡ªjust for a second, just enough to hide the hint of a smile.


    ¡°Such a goddamn pleasure to meet you,¡± Cale said and gave her a smile that didn¡¯t reach the eyes. She stuck her tongue out and Cale followed Darius.


    Once Cale placed his hoverboard down, Darius closed the door.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you got one of those,¡± Darius muttered and looked at the pink hoverboard.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have needed one if my mentor hadn¡¯t ditched my ass.¡±


    Darius laughed. ¡°What did you learn?¡±


    Cale thought for a moment. ¡°Mortals have it rough.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Darius said as he set his suit jacket on a gilded coat hanger. ¡°What else?¡±


    Cale looked back. The monolithic skyscraper. The ridiculously ostentatious gardens. The grandstanding of a secretary. It all had the same tune to it. It wasn¡¯t ¡®look at me¡¯. It was more like ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°Posturing. Everyone is trying to look impressive.¡±


    You¡¯re not completely hopeless kid,¡± Darius said and opened the portal from his wrist Integra. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    He rummaged through the portable warehouse and grabbed a bag and tossed it to Cale. He opened it and found two pairs of pants, shirts and shoes, as well as two black leather belts. All the clothes were neatly pressed and high quality fabric. Gray pants, white shirt, black shoes.


    ¡°Your uniform. It¡¯s standard issue. There¡¯s some basic sigils woven in for minor protection. And dirt rejection, which you definitely need. Don¡¯t ever let me see you dressed like this again.¡±


    Cale shook his head, but he got the point. Portrayal of power. He had to look the part.


    ¡°When do I get a jacket?¡±


    ¡°You get to Core Formation,¡± Darius said and poured himself a drink. ¡°You get a vest and a tie when you reach Mana Circuitry. How about we focus on that first?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Cale said. ¡°So what¡¯s the takeaway from posturing?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a bunch of bullshit. Why should I care what others think?¡±


    ¡°Because it matters,¡± Darius said in a tone that said the discussion was over. He slammed the drink down on a table. ¡°You need to get this to your head, or you¡¯re dead before you even start.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t learn from just you telling me to do this or that. You have to explain it to me.¡±


    ¡°I need another drink¡­¡± Darius said, slammed the amber liquid down his gullet and got up to get another one. ¡°See, the way people perceive you defines how they treat you. So if you¡¯re looking to ask how you want people to treat you, you have to ask how they perceive you. You want your allies to adore you and your enemies to fear you. And being formidable is the first step to getting what you want in this world. So you need to dress and convey yourself like it. Don¡¯t play the game with half a deck. Stack it to work for you.¡±


    ¡°Sounds manipulative,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t have to be. You¡¯re going to act one way or another, so might as well make that work for you. Doesn¡¯t mean you have to be an unrepentant bastard, but sure wouldn¡¯t hurt for you to try that approach.¡±


    ¡°Cause it worked so well for you?¡± Cale asked and killed the flow of the conversation.


    Darius grew silent for a while. He observed Cale over the rim of his glass and flashed him a thin smile. ¡°Touche.¡±


    Darius let the heavy silence linger for a bit as he took a drink, his sharp eyes never leaving Cale¡¯s. Cale swallowed, and even though every instinct told him to look away, he kept his head high. Darius relaxed his gaze and put down his drink.


    ¡°So let me see if you learned the lesson,¡± he said. ¡°Why do appearance matter? Why do I dress like this, and the Gray Lotus projects wealth?¡±


    Cale considered the question. It was a good one. He looked at Darius¡¯s perfect haircut, flawless pinstripe suit and shining shoes. His eyes were as relaxed as his smile and his posture was a challenge unto itself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how powerful you are exactly,¡± Cale said. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to try my chances. Perception of power is power.¡±


    ¡°Good. You said you wanted power,¡± Darius said and sat down on one of the black leather sofas in the center of the room. ¡°This is one part of it. Power isn¡¯t just how hard you can punch another guy. It¡¯s how they perceive you. Think about card games. It¡¯s not just about having a good hand. It¡¯s about leveraging the hand. And for that you need to look the part, say the right things, know the right people. This takes time to develop. But the first step is simple. Look formidable. Look like you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Cale had to admit to himself, it was all distasteful, but he could see how it was part of the game.


    If I want to get strong, I need to eat my broccoli. I can¡¯t only play the game when it¡¯s convenient for me.


    But Cale wondered as he watched Darius in all of his dapper glory. He wondered just how far this life would eventually push him. Would he be able to live with the person that stood at the end of this road?


    Darius got up from the sofa, the drink half finished. ¡°You wanted to play the game, kid. There¡¯s a lot of rules in the adult table. I¡¯ll leave you with this. Power ain¡¯t free. Power ain¡¯t cheap. But if you can pay the fiddler, then let the music play."


    ¡°I think I understand,¡± Cale said thoughtfully. ¡°But I don¡¯t think this part is going to be as easy for me as fighting murderbots.¡±


    Darius peeled his cuff to reveal the blue wrist-Integra. ¡°Speaking of parts that are not going to be easy¡­ You¡¯re about to meet my boss, Ravia Wren.¡±


    Cale raised an eyebrow. "That supposed to scare me?"


    "No." Darius grabbed his umbrella, slung his jacket over his shoulder, and strode toward the door. "If you had any sense, it would."


    Cale exhaled. He adjusted the collar of his new shirt, suddenly feeling how stiff and formal it was. Wearing Darius¡¯s clothes had been pretense. This? This was real. He was now really in the game.


    Following Darius¡¯s lessons in formidability, Cale buttoned his sleeves and straightened them.


    Alright. Game on.


    Darius was already at the door. He glanced back once and gave a curt nod of approval at Cale¡¯s efforts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 CHAPTER 12 - RAVIA WREN

    Cale followed Darius into an office that reeked of power.


    Not in the way of sheer size or opulence¡ªno, this wasn¡¯t some ostentatious palace of a workspace. It was streamlined, efficient, and lethal. Like a well-honed blade.


    The walls were smooth black stone, trimmed with thin streaks of glowing silver. One entire side of the room was a floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the vast, floating cityscape beyond. From up here, the mortals looked like insects.


    A single, massive desk of polished obsidian dominated the center of the room, flanked by two curved black chairs. Behind it, lounging with a glass of deep amber liquor in her hand, was Ravia Wren. Luxurious auburn hair was flowing around her in a way that was distinctly magical. She was wearing a slim red dress that clung to her body. But the most defining feature of her were the ten or so red crystals that floated behind her like a halo. When Darius and Cale entered the crystals flared up slightly.


    She didn¡¯t look up immediately.


    Instead, she took a slow sip of her drink, eyes still fixed on the tablet in front of her, fingers flicking through reports. The silence stretched.


    Darius, unbothered, helped himself to a seat. Cale hesitated for half a second, then followed.


    Ravia finally looked up.


    Her gaze was sharp, evaluating. Predatory.


    ¡°Darius,¡± she said coolly, setting her glass down. ¡°Looks like you dragged in more than just loot.¡± Her eyes flicked to Cale. ¡°A new pet?¡±


    Darius smirked. ¡°I prefer the term investment.¡±


    Cale didn¡¯t like the way they were talking about him like he wasn¡¯t even in the room. He leaned back in his chair, deliberately relaxed. ¡°Heard it was bad manners to ignore people in conversation,¡± he said.


    Ravia turned to him fully now, a slight arch to her brow. ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡±


    ¡°Not what I was going for.¡±


    Ravia¡¯s lips twitched, but she didn¡¯t smile. Instead, she looked back at Darius. ¡°You¡¯re peak of Core Formation now?¡±


    ¡°On the cusp,¡± Darius corrected. ¡°Which means I can take an apprentice.¡± He gestured lazily at Cale.


    ¡°Never took you for the nurturing type,¡± Ravia mused.


    Darius shrugged.


    Ravia¡¯s eyes flickered with something unreadable. Then she said, ¡°You want to sell him to me?¡±


    Cale blinked. ¡°Uh. What?¡±


    Both of them turned to him at the exact same time with the same cold, unreadable expression.


    Cale immediately did not like this.


    ¡°I told you how it is, kid,¡± Darius said, folding his hands together. ¡°You perform well in the Corussi academy, I get a slice, Ravia gets a slice.¡±


    ¡°What do I get?¡± Cale asked.


    Ravia cast him a glance. She had cold green eyes that assessed Cale with a robotic indifference.


    ¡°You get a chance,¡± Darius said. ¡°Now shut up and let adults talk business.¡±


    Ravia took another slow sip of her drink. ¡°Always looking to increase your revenue.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you wouldn¡¯t do the same,¡± Darius said smoothly.


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    Ravia set her glass down with a quiet clink. ¡°We¡¯ll circle back on the kid.¡± She leaned back in her chair. ¡°Speaking of revenue, what are you doing with the Mana Adapter?¡±


    Darius grinned. ¡°Squeezing it for every chit, obviously. I¡¯ll be able to use it once I ascend to Core Crystallization. Until then? I¡¯ll rent it.¡±


    Ravia hummed, swirling her drink. ¡°To who?¡±


    ¡°Jana Lilata.¡±


    Ravia snorted. ¡°She hates you.¡±


    Darius tilted his head. ¡°Does she?¡±


    ¡°Ever since you pulled that stunt in Nicau.¡±


    ¡°That was eight years ago.¡±


    Ravia gave him a look.


    Darius exhaled through his nose. ¡°Fine. How about Hieronymus Tobb?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at war with the Arcane Veil, you idiot.¡±


    Darius waved a hand. ¡°And? We¡¯re also at war with the Chimera brutes. Doesn¡¯t stop us from trading with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, and you know it.¡±


    Darius rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. You broker it then. Take five percent.¡±


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    Darius scoffed. ¡°Four.¡±


    Ravia¡¯s expression turned dangerous. ¡°Don¡¯t play with me.¡±


    Darius sighed. ¡°Seven.¡±


    Ravia held out her hand. ¡°Deal.¡±


    They shook on it.


    Then, finally, Ravia turned her full attention to Cale.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, propping her chin on one hand. ¡°This kid.¡±


    ¡°Interesting one,¡± Darius said lazily. ¡°Found him in the ruins. No gear, no alliances. Doesn¡¯t seem to know anything about anything except basic cultivation.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡±


    ¡°He finished Scarroid off.¡±


    Ravia¡¯s entire demeanor shifted.


    Her jaw did not drop. She did not gasp. She just stared. Flat, intense, evaluating.


    ¡°Shut your lying mouth,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Darius said, still grinning.


    Ravia¡¯s gaze snapped to Cale. ¡°What¡¯s your cultivation?¡±


    Cale met her stare. ¡°Middle Body Tempering. Fourth stage.¡±


    Ravia leaned forward slightly. ¡°And you killed a Middle Core Formation cultivator?¡±


    ¡°I absorbed mana from a large crystal and detonated it at him,¡± Cale said honestly.


    Ravia¡¯s fingers tapped slowly against the desk. ¡°You absorbed mana? In the middle of a fight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cale said. ¡°I have¡­ a unique adapter.¡±


    Ravia didn¡¯t respond immediately.


    Instead, she turned to Darius.


    Darius was still grinning.


    Ravia exhaled slowly. ¡°What the hell is this kid?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty interesting, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ravia opened her mouth¡ª


    A soft, nearly imperceptible click echoed through the room.


    Ravia and Darius both froze.


    Cale felt a whisper of movement above him. He looked up.


    In the farthest corner of the ceiling, so small it was nearly invisible, a drone was latched onto the rafters.


    It was the size of a coin¡ªthin, sleek, and eerily quiet.


    But its pulsing white lens was unmistakable, glinting with the morning light from the windows.


    Ravia¡¯s crystals flared faster than Cale could turn. A red streak of energy shot through the little drone in the corner.¡±


    ¡°Got you, you little shit,¡± she hissed.


    The drone shuddered, sparked¡ªthen exploded.


    Cale flinched as tiny fragments of metal rained down.


    Ravia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. But Cale could feel the murderous tension rolling off her.


    Darius picked up one of the smoking pieces, inspected it, then let out a low chuckle.


    ¡°Whispers,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re getting bold.¡±


    Ravia¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°Did it transmit?¡±


    Darius¡¯s smile finally faded.


    ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡±


    A beat of silence.


    Then Ravia leaned back, downed the rest of her drink, and exhaled through her nose.


    ¡°Well,¡± she muttered. ¡°The kid¡¯s done.¡±


    Cale¡¯s stomach dropped. ¡°What?¡±


    Ravia set down her glass, her piercing gaze locking onto him.


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready, Cale,¡± she said. ¡°Because every major faction in this city just got a heads-up about you. They¡¯ll know we have someone who can absorb mana without attuning it, and they will want to know how and why.¡±


    The room felt colder.


    Cale swallowed.

 CHAPTER 13 - ZAVIO

    Darius closed the door to his office behind him. He looked at Cale with an unreadable expression. What was that? Disappointment? Frustration?


    That was what Cale was feeling. He knew what was coming. It was all over Darius¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to let you go, kid.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Cale asked. ¡°Because of a rumor?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± Darius said and walked to the window. The massive city sprawled beneath the high view like a shiny toy of some god. The view made the city look like an ant hill. Suddenly he felt small.


    ¡°Why do you think I gave a shit about you in the first place? It wasn¡¯t your winning smile.¡±


    ¡°I thought I showed promise¡­¡± Cale said, trying hard to keep his voice steady.


    ¡°You did,¡± Darius said brusquely. ¡°That¡¯s what makes this harder than it should be. But this is business, and I have to keep my head cool.¡±


    ¡°I have Aura inside me, so what?¡±


    Darius chuckled dryly. He walked over to the small table where he had his drinks, and poured a finger of spirit in a glass. He offered it to Cale. ¡°Drink.¡±


    Cale chugged it down. It was smooth and barely burned on the way down. He felt a warmth in his stomach, but it didn¡¯t reach further.


    ¡°You have a True Integra inside you,¡± Darius said. ¡°Every faction knows that right now. Not to mention said Integra helped a total newbie kill Core Formation Cultivator. How the hell do you suppose me or Gray Lotus protects a Body Tempering cultivator from abduction and assassination? You¡¯re going to cost us more than you¡¯re worth and be neutralized anyway. Walk away, kid.¡±


    Cale felt a storm starting to brew inside of him. The warmth of the liquor faded, and all he felt was a cold lurch in his stomach. ¡°Walk away? To what? Go back to the city and sell hoverboards for a living until I grow old and forget who I wanted to be? NO!¡±


    Cale slammed the drink down on the crystal table. The damn thing didn¡¯t even have the decency to dramatically crack. Darius wanted to say something, but seemed to be at a loss for words. That gave Cale some grim satisfaction.


    ¡°You can¡¯t show me this life and then yank it all away,¡± Cale said. ¡°This is all I know. This is all I want.¡±


    Darius pressed his lips together and shook his head. ¡°Tough tits, kid. You can¡¯t win every hand.¡±


    ¡°Every hand?¡± Cale said with his voice trembling. ¡°You¡¯re full of shit, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius said sharply. ¡°Watch yourself now.¡±


    ¡°Screw you,¡± Cale said. ¡°You talk boldly about this go big or go home idea. Telling me to play my hand and never fold. Well you¡¯re folding now!¡±


    Darius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules, kid.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m going to roll over, just because the game got hard?¡±


    Darius gave him the side eye. ¡°You¡¯re a stubborn little shit.¡±


    Cale smirked. ¡°Takes one to know one.¡±


    Darius smiled wryly. ¡°Look. You¡¯re too much heat. Too many eyes are about to be on you, and I have my own skin to worry about. I¡¯m not a damn babysitter.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Darius said and walked to the door. ¡°We won¡¯t kill you. Juice is not worth the squeeze. Better to show the other factions that you walked away. Don¡¯t waste your life.¡±


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    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for a handout,¡± Cale snapped.


    Darius opened the door. ¡°Goodbye, kid.¡±


    *


    Cale stormed out, his hands clenched into fists. His heart pounded, not just from anger¡ªbut from something he refused to name. He wasn¡¯t wrong. He knew that. So why did it feel like the door slamming behind him felt so unfair.


    A group of executives strolled past, power-walking like they owned the air. They didn¡¯t even look at him. He wasn¡¯t worth noticing. A woman wearing a tightly tailored dress turned the corner talking to an earpiece with a floating screen of mana-glass floating in front of her. She almost rammed into Cale, who stepped out of the way. She didn¡¯t say sorry or look back.


    Cale felt useless and alone. But he wasn¡¯t about to throw a pity party for himself. He would not quit, he would not stop. He would find a way.


    As he angry-walked, Cale almost ran into a cleaning drone. A blocky thing with a blue glow of mana emanating from under it. It beeped at Cale, as if angry. Cale felt a strong urge to kick it on its side, but he resisted it. He still had his dignity.


    Cale slowed down and walked a few paces before he stopped to watch an awkward scene unfold. There was a cultivator leaning against Fiara¡¯s desk like he owned it, wearing a smarmy smile. He had handsome boyish features, blue pants, blue vest and a perfectly waxed back medium length blonde hair. He was clicking that large ring on the table rhythmically.


    ¡°It¡¯s the black shoed one from before,¡± Aura said. ¡°Eugh¡­¡±


    The petty and tyrannical Mana Circuitry level cultivator was clearly in a different mood. Gone were the lines of disdain around his mouth. He was drawling something softly to Fiara. A few employees passed by, casting quick glances before looking away. No one wanted to be involved.


    No one except the guy with nothing to lose¡­


    ¡°Go away, Zavio,¡± Fiara said without looking up. Her eyes were fixed on the monitor in front of her, as she tapped away. Cale needed only to take a look at her shoulders to see how uncomfortable she was.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, baby,¡± Zavio drawled smoothly. ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired of playing hard to get? All I¡¯m asking for is lunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working, as you can see,¡± Fiara said tersely.


    ¡°Dinner, then,¡± Zavio said, and leaned further on the desk. ¡°Much better. We won¡¯t have to rush¡­¡±


    Cale stepped forward. ¡°Wow. You really suck at this.¡±


    Zavio turned, eyes narrowing. ¡°What?¡±


    Cale gestured vaguely. ¡°Flirting. Being a person. Take your pick.¡±


    Fiara suppressed a snort and Cale caught a flash of gratitude in her eyes.


    ¡°What did you say to me?¡± Zavio said in a low voice. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are dying to tell me,¡± Cale said and put a hand in his pocket.


    ¡°I am Zavio Wren, of the Wrenfamily. My aunt is the chief operative director.¡±


    ¡°Your greatest accomplishment, I¡¯m sure,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Cale! He is at first stage Mana Circuitry.¡±


    ¡°And what does a little shit like you know about accomplishments?¡± Zavio asked, no longer leaning against the counter as much as he was looming at Cale. Or trying to. They were the same height, so it didn¡¯t quite work as much. Zavio must have noticed that, so he opted to stand on his toes.


    ¡°Has to be hard,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Zavio asked cautiously.


    ¡°Carrying all that insecurity around. Must get heavy.¡±


    Fiara clamped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head slowly. Her eyes practically screamed, Oh my god, you did not. Cale suppressed a smirk, but Zavio turned to Fiara, then back to Cale.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re funny, trash?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cale said and openly laughed now. ¡°You¡¯re way funnier.¡±


    Zavio¡¯s eye twitched. Cale could see he absolutely hated this. For some reason or other, this guy was used to getting what he wanted. He wasn¡¯t used to being challenged, and it showed. Cale could smell his old money pomp from a mile away, and he knew that type couldn¡¯t stand some nobody making sport of him.


    This isn¡¯t going to end pretty. Good. Screw this guy.


    Zavio lunged at Cale and grabbed him by the shirt. ¡°You think you¡¯re so clever, don¡¯t you, funny guy?¡±


    Cale was surprised, but controlled himself. He wouldn¡¯t give this guy any speck of satisfaction. He just looked back at Zavio with an unimpressed expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re more than just talk,¡± Zavio growled. ¡°I officially challenge you to a simulated deathmatch.¡±


    Fiara froze. ¡°Cale, you shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence,¡± Zavio barked, his gaze fixed on Cale.


    The heavy silence around them was only broken by the soft beeping of the cleaning drone in the corner. Cale didn¡¯t know what a simulated deathmatch entailed exactly, but he didn¡¯t particularly care. He wanted to break this guy.


    ¡°Well?¡± Zavio raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you still funny, or are you afraid?¡±


    Cale exhaled through his nose. Then he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.


    ¡°Yeah, I accept,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d love to beat your ass.¡±

 CHAPTER 14 - SIMULATED DEATHMATCH

    Cale followed Zavio through the winding halls of Gray Lotus HQ, the tension thick enough to cut.


    Zavio strutted ahead, his expensive vest crisp, his polished boots clacking against the black marble floor. He carried himself like you¡¯d expect from a spoiled rich brat. Overly confident, head held high, chest puffed out, bordering on exaggeration. Sometimes he would look back at Cale and scowl. Cale only smiled back with a shit-eating grin.


    Fiara walked beside them, surprisingly quiet. Instead, her fingers flew over a sleek managlass tablet, queuing up the duel parameters.


    They entered a circular chamber, all obsidian and silver, lined with thin strips of pulsing light. At either end of the room sat two pods, sleek and curved like high-tech sarcophagi. In the center stood a complicated control panel, surrounded by holographic screens displaying shifting battlefields, combat data, and duel records.


    It¡¯s cold in here.


    Cale looked at the pods. Black with lines of blue mana glowing in patterns. Absolutely dotted with sigils that Aura oohed at. The design was different, but the feeling¡­ the feeling was the same.


    A strange lurch in his stomach. A deja vu.


    I remember¡­


    Not this fight. Not this duel. But this feeling¡ªstepping into a pod, leaving something behind, knowing it might be the last time.


    The fragmented memories hit him in disjointed pieces. Cold metal. Hushed voices. A sharp scent¡ªlike antiseptic. A hand on his shoulder, firm but warm. Someone had said something to him.


    Not goodbye. It was a thank you. No¡ª not exactly that.


    Something heavier. More final.


    ¡°We exalt you for your sacrifice.¡±


    He tried to grab onto it, but the memory slipped through his fingers like sand.


    A choice. A sacrifice. A promise.


    ¡°Cale.¡±


    Aura¡¯s voice snapped him back.


    His fists had clenched. His breath had quickened.


    ¡°¡®This is not the time to lollygag. Or dilly-dally,¡± Aura murmured. ¡°I need you to focus, Cale.¡±


    Cale smiled wanly, exhaled and flexed his fingers. Whatever that memory was¡ªit was gone. All that mattered now was the present.


    Fiara had already stepped up to the central control panel, her voice shifting into something smooth and formal as she tapped the final confirmations.


    ¡°Per Gray Lotus Syndicate protocol,¡± she began, ¡°this is an official simulated deathmatch, overseen and recorded. The results will be internally public and recorded. As a training engagement, both participants agree to full neural synchronization with the combat framework. Injuries sustained in the simulation will not carry over, but pain and sensation will remain at 85% realism.¡±


    She looked at Cale when she said it.


    Zavio smirked. ¡°Still time to back out, trash.¡±


    Cale rolled his shoulders. ¡°Keep talking, it¡¯s been working so well for you.¡±


    Fiara¡¯s mouth was a tight line before she sighed and continued. ¡°Victory is determined by incapacitation or death. Additionally, duelists may bring any equipment of their choosing, which will be imprinted into the simulation.¡±


    Cale perked up. ¡°Wait. Anything?¡±


    Fiara gave him a wary look. ¡°Yes. Weapons, armor, combat tools. Anything you would normally use in a fight.¡±


    Cale crossed his arms, pretending to think deeply. ¡°So¡­ I can bring my hoverboard?¡±


    Fiara blinked. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose as if attacked by a headache, and muttered something under her breath.


    Zavio scoffed. ¡°You must be joking.¡±


    Fiara exhaled through her nose. ¡°I swear, I¡¯ve never seen a fool like you.¡±


    Cale grinned. ¡°There are no fools like me.¡±


    For half a second, nothing. Then¡ªjust the faintest hitch in her typing. A blink too slow.


    Then, as if nothing happened, she flicked her gaze back to the screen. ¡°Get in the pod, idiot.¡±


    Cale said nothing more, only stepped toward the pod and climbed in.


    The metal was smooth and cool beneath his fingers. He exhaled slowly as the curved lid began to close with a soft hiss.


    Cale shook away the past from his mind. It was enough to know he had stepped into the cryopod voluntarily, with purpose. With resolve.


    That was all he wanted to know about his old self for now. He hadn¡¯t been a coward or a prisoner. He had made a promise. Cale felt at ease.


    Time to live for the moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kick ass, Aura.¡±


    The pod sealed shut. A darkness enveloped him. Cale¡¯s hands rested on cold metal. He could hear himself breathe, and the heartbeat in his ears. Soon the pod flooded with a faintly gray gas. He was starting to lose his consciousness.


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    And then¡ª


    Initialization complete.


    Entering simulation.


    *


    [Initializing...]


    For a brief moment, there was nothing.


    No sound. No light. No gravity. Just an overwhelming sensation of being between places, like his mind had been plucked from his body and left floating in a void.


    Then¡ª


    The world slammed into place.


    The weight of his body returned, gravity grabbed hold, and suddenly¡ªhe was standing.


    A vast arena stretched around him, a coliseum of pale stone and hard golden sand, enclosed by towering walls that reached toward a domed ceiling of shimmering energy. The air was dry and hot, carrying the faint scent of dust and something vaguely metallic¡ªlike old blood baked into the sand.


    The only sound was the distant, mechanical hum of the simulation system running in the background.


    Then, footsteps.


    Cale turned his head and saw Zavio standing fifty feet away, his posture loose, relaxed¡ªhis stance casual, but calculated. The arena light gleamed off his blue vest, and in his hand, he held an ornate pistol.


    Zavio smiled. The gun whined as it charged.


    A split second later, it snapped.


    A lance of golden energy exploded from the barrel, cutting through the air at lightning speed.


    Cale¡¯s body moved on instinct¡ªa sharp pivot, a drop of his shoulder¡ªand the blast sailed past him so close he could feel it.


    Before he could fully process the dodge, another shot.


    Cale hit the ground, rolling hard through the coarse sand. His palms burned as he pushed off and flipped to his feet. He felt something heavy on his back¡ªhis hoverboard.


    Another shot. Faster this time.


    Cale unstrapped the board in a single motion, spun, and leapt onto it¡ªjust barely evading the next bolt as it hissed past his ear.


    The fight was on.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Predictive Battle Algorithm: 2]


    ¡°I have developed a predictive pattern against Zavio. It is 28% accurate. Just listen to me.¡±


    Cale nodded. Now was not the time to complain about the accuracy.


    Cale bobbed and weaved under the fire of Zavio¡¯s seemingly endless barrage. The bolts didn¡¯t seem to be as devastating as bullets would be for regular humans, considering their speed, but Zavio certainly wasn¡¯t about to run out.


    Cale sped across the arena, weaving left and right as Zavio tracked him effortlessly. The air cracked with each shot, and Cale could practically feel the bastard grinning every time he barely avoided one. All the while Aura was feeding him information.


    ¡°The predictive model is at 36%¡±


    Cale could feel it. Aura would give him verbal instructions, but she was doing something else. Something else entirely¡­ Before Aura told him to follow them, Cale thought them hallucinations, or some part of the simulation. Well, they were hallucinations, just ones created by Aura.


    She dotted his vision with a succession of little floating red orbs.


    ¡°Follow them! And keep listening!¡±


    Cale did as was told. And he managed to keep dodging. But only because¡­


    Cale turned to glance at Zavio. The smug bastard was enjoying himself.


    Zavio wasn¡¯t just wantonly throwing out attacks¡ªhe was playing with his food.


    ¡°Aura¡ª¡± Cale called out as he tilted hard to dodge a near-perfect shot.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Predictive Battle Algorithm: 3]


    ¡°The algorithm is getting more refined,¡± Aura said. ¡°It is 41% accurate. Just listen to me.¡±


    Cale gritted his teeth. Not great. But better than nothing.


    Zavio fired again¡ªthis time a spread shot, three small pulses at once. Cale rolled mid-air, avoiding two, but the third clipped his shoulder.


    Cold.


    It wasn¡¯t like a bullet. It wasn¡¯t heat or burning. It was like ice being forced into his bones.


    Cale managed to dodge at least a dozen of them, before he got either too brave or too frustrated, and he sped up his hoverboard in a frontal assault at Zavio.


    Zavio took his time aiming, and Cale could see the smirk just before the recoil. The bolt slammed straight into his chest. There was pain, like someone had plunged a cold steel rod through his sternum. Cale was knocked off the hoverboard and rolled on the hard sand. Before he could recover, another bolt struck him in the back. He arched his back as another cold bolt of energy sliced through him. Cale felt something tighten inside of him. He hissed through his teeth.


    ¡°Keep moving!¡±


    Cale forced himself to his feet, but had to immediately throw himself away from another bolt. And another. He ignored Aura and worked on pure instinct. It worked to dodge some of the shots, but not all¡­


    Zavio was walking towards him and bombarding him with a fusillade of yellow energy. Another one struck Cale and the coldness inside him grew with the pain. He was slowing down.


    ¡°Keep at it, Cale! Just a little longer!¡±


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Predictive Battle Algorithm: 4]


    I just need to keep¡­ enduring¡­


    Another snap of Zavio¡¯s weapon. He was a bastard true and true, but his aim was good. The next lance of energy struck Cale in the head.


    Pain. Like a spear of frozen steel through his skull. His vision blurred as he was ripped off the hoverboard, crashing into the sand.


    Before he could react¡ª


    Another shot.


    This one hit him in the back. Cold, deep pain spread through his core, locking up his muscles. He gasped, his fingers twitching against the sand.


    More shots followed. Each one stole more of his strength.


    Cale tried to push himself up, but another bolt slammed into his ribcage, and he collapsed with a strangled gasp.


    His breath came shallow. His limbs felt numb, like something was coiling around his insides, squeezing tighter with each hit.


    Zavio¡¯s boots crunched over the sand. Aura was shouting something in the back of his mind. His ears were ringing, but he forced himself to focus. With a blurry vision he winced with every movement.


    Cale tried to stumble towards his hoverboard. Zavio walked past it. He kicked the hoverboard aside, sending it skidding out of reach.


    I have to¡­ get up¡­


    Cale tried to rise, but the shots had weakened him. He wasn¡¯t bleeding, his clothes were not burnt or torn. But his spirit, his mana was being suffocated. There was a constant electrical current inside of him that constricted his very being. With each shot the constriction tightened, the pain increased.


    Zavio walked up to Cale who was on his knees, trying to push himself up with a hand. Zavio kicked the hand out and planted his foot on Cale¡¯s head.


    ¡°Nothing but a big mouth,¡± Zavio hissed. ¡°How dare you waste my time like this.¡±


    Cale knew this was the end of the line. But he would not yield. Not give up. He wanted to try again. Aura¡¯s algorithm had improved his chances that much already. Just a little more¡­


    Cale tried to push himself up instinctively, but Zavio stomped on his head. The pain in his skull exploded. Cale could only see white and now he tasted the warm iron in his mouth. Another stomp. The pain was absolute. His ears were ringing. He could feel the granules of sand in his mouth mix with the flow of blood. With the third stomp he felt a sickening crunch and everything went black.

 CHAPTER 15 - CLOSE SHAVE

    Darkness.


    Not the peaceful kind.


    The suffocating, drowning, crushing kind.


    Cale¡¯s senses returned in pieces. His nerves were on fire, his skull felt fractured from the inside out, and his body was caught in a strange limbo between numbness and pain. His breathing was ragged, like his lungs had been half-filled with broken glass.


    Then¡ªhis eyes snapped open.


    The simulation had ended. He was back in the pod. The faint hiss of depressurization whispered around him as the chamber lifted open. He immediately regretted regaining consciousness.


    Pain. Residual, leftover echoes of every shot, every stomp. His muscles spasmed and lancing strange echoes of pain rippled through his body. The pain was in his muscles, his bones, his mouth¡­


    Cale wiped his mouth. He thought he could still feel the sand in his mouth.


    I hate how real that felt.


    ¡°How are you feeling,¡± Aura asked concerned.


    ¡°Like absolute shit,¡± Cale managed to whisper.


    ¡°While there is no real damage, your nervous system thought there was. I can heal it, but I¡¯ll need some Mana.¡±


    Cale nodded. He plucked two mana crystals from his pocket and drained them. It was hard to control the energy, rattled as he was, but he managed to make it swirl around his solar plexus in a slow circular motion. It did not fight him, but he was so damn weak it was difficult to control.


    After a moment, Aura sucked it in. A moment passed and Cale was already feeling better. It still hurt like hell, but especially the crushing headache started to fade immediately.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Molecular Tissue Regeneration: 2]


    There wasn¡¯t nothing quite like pain. There was no denying its significance. No denying how it affected emotions and decisions. In his short life Cale was already no stranger to pain. Pain meant something was broken. Pain meant one shouldn¡¯t push forward.


    But with the help of Aura, it didn¡¯t have to mean that. He could bend the rules. Pain was just pain. Just something to push through if his resolve was strong enough.


    And that meant he could fight again.


    Cale groaned and forced himself to sit up. The VR pod¡¯s interior light felt like staring directly into the sun. His vision blurred, then adjusted. Across from him, Zavio was already standing, stretching, and checking his nails like this had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience. When Cale clambered out of the pod, Zavio watched him like a wolf at a crippled hare.


    Zavio turned, grinning down at Cale.


    ¡°Wow,¡± he mused, smirking. ¡°That was actually pathetic. Even for trash.¡±


    Cale clenched his fists. He tried to push himself up, but his arms barely responded. The pain was receding ever so slowly, but his body still felt useless.


    Fiara was suddenly next to him, pressing a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Cale, just relax. You shouldn¡¯t move,¡± she said, voice unusually firm. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    Cale ignored her. He forced his shaking arms to lock beneath him, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself upright. His legs felt like lead. He was trembling. Weak. He hated it.


    Zavio¡¯s smirk grew. ¡°Oh? Still got some fight left in you? That¡¯s cute.¡±


    Cale swallowed. He exhaled, slowly straightened his back¡ªand looked Zavio straight in the eye.


    His lips curled into a grin. He forced his eyes to focus. The pain was still bad, but Cale pushed through.


    ¡°Best of three.¡±


    The room fell silent.


    Zavio¡¯s smirk froze for half a second, as if he hadn¡¯t quite processed the words. Then¡ªhe laughed.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± He gestured at Cale. ¡°You¡¯re not only trash, you¡¯re stupid trash.¡±


    Fiara grabbed his arm, whispering fiercely. ¡°Cale, don¡¯t do this. Your nervous system will overload. You¡¯ll be in a coma for weeks.¡±


    He pulled free.


    His body hurt. Every joint, muscle and bone ached. His vision was blurry and his ears still had a slight uncomfortable ring to them.


    But he wasn¡¯t done.


    Cale tilted his head, cracking his neck. Then, through sheer force of will¡ªhe took a step forward.


    He wobbled. But he didn¡¯t fall.


    He took another step.


    And another.


    He was face to face with Zavio now. Zavio leaned back and watched Cale in disbelief.


    Zavio looked at him like he was staring at an insect that refused to die. He scoffed. ¡°You seriously think you¡¯re gonna win?¡±


    Cale exhaled, ignoring the pain. He grinned wider.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna enjoy trying.¡±


    *


    Ravia Wren stood in front of a massive, floor-to-ceiling mana-glass screen, her sharp amber eyes locked onto the live footage of the duel. The second round was just about to begin, the contestants materializing into the simulation.


    She wasn¡¯t alone.


    Darius stood behind her, hands casually tucked into his pockets, watching the screen like it was the best entertainment of his life.


    Ravia crossed her arms. ¡°Best of three?¡± she repeated flatly.


    Darius grinned. ¡°I know, right? The kid is crazy.¡±


    Ravia exhaled through her nose. She didn¡¯t look away from the footage. ¡°He should be unconscious.¡±


    Darius shrugged. ¡°And yet, there he is. Walking around like he didn¡¯t just get murdered. He doesn¡¯t even have Glassweed pills to give his nervous system a break.¡±


    ¡°The kid¡¯s got guts,¡± Ravia said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll give him that.¡±


    Ravia studied the screen carefully. Cale was moving differently now.


    Something had changed.


    She narrowed her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s his Integra doing?¡±


    Darius rubbed his chin. ¡°That¡¯s the million credit question, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    *


    Zavio flicked his wrist, reloading his ornate pistol with a smooth motion. ¡°Fine. Whatever. One more round before I put you down for good.¡±


    Cale flexed his fingers. He could feel it. Something sharp, precise, electric humming in the back of his mind.


    Aura¡¯s voice purred with satisfaction.


    ¡°Oh, my dear Cale,¡± she sang, almost gleeful. ¡°Now, we¡¯re getting somewhere.¡±


    Cale inhaled sharply. The red orbs of prediction flickered into his vision again¡ªexcept this time, they were different.


    Sharper. Faster. Clearer.


    And every single one was appearing exactly where Zavio was about to shoot.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Aura laughed, absolutely thrilled.


    ¡°Predictive Model at 90% Accuracy!¡±


    Cale grinned.


    Zavio fired.


    And this time¡ª


    Cale didn¡¯t just dodge.


    He moved before the shot was even fired.


    *


    Ravia leaned in slightly, arms still crossed, but her amber eyes were locked onto the screen.


    Darius, standing beside her, whistled low. He looked entertained.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Ravia muttered, tilting her head. ¡°Different.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Darius grinned. ¡°This is real different.¡±


    On the massive mana-glass screen, Cale was moving like a different fighter.


    No more desperate scrambling. No more struggling to keep up.


    Now, every time Zavio fired¡ªCale was already gone before the shot left the barrel.


    It was uncanny.


    Ravia narrowed her eyes. ¡°His reaction time¡­¡±


    Darius smirked and leaned back. ¡°It¡¯s not reaction time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It simply can¡¯t be,¡± Darius said and shrugged. ¡°Even I couldn¡¯t react that fast.¡±


    ¡°If he is not reacting¡­ He is¡­¡± Ravia started and trailed off.


    Darius finished her thought. ¡°He¡¯s a little monster.¡±


    Zavio fired three rapid shots. Cale weaved through them effortlessly, closing the distance.


    Zavio clicked his tongue, stepping back. His confident smirk had faded into a thin, impatient line.


    Ravia caught the tension in Zavio¡¯s stance immediately. ¡°He¡¯s rattled.¡±


    Darius nodded. ¡°I¡¯d be shitting bricks too if I were him.¡±


    Then it happened.


    Cale lunged forward, hoverboard tilted at an angle. Zavio fired directly at his chest¡ªbut Cale, instead of dodging, twisted his entire body in midair, launching himself from the hoverboard like a missile.


    The hoverboard flipped up. Cale grabbed it mid-air with both hands.


    And before Zavio could adjust¡ª


    CRACK!


    The board slammed into Zavio¡¯s face.


    Ravia raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­Did he just¡ª?¡±


    Darius grinned wider. ¡°Oh, hell yeah!¡±


    Zavio staggered backward, stunned. His balance wavered¡ªjust enough.


    Cale landed in one fluid motion, rolled forward, and delivered a brutal strike to Zavio¡¯s ribs.


    Zavio let out a guttural sound, stumbling. His grip on the pistol wavered.


    Darius whistled. ¡°You know, for a guy who just got shot twenty times a few minutes ago, the kid looks annoyingly fine.¡±


    Ravia¡¯s lips pressed into a thin, calculating line. ¡°Little monster¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s about to win.¡±


    Zavio backpedaled, panic flickering behind his eyes.


    Cale pressed forward.


    Ravia noted the shift in his posture¡ªthe way he moved now. This wasn¡¯t a wild, desperate counterattack.


    This was control.


    Cale stepped inside Zavio¡¯s range, locked eyes with him, and raised his fist.


    And then¡ª


    A small silver cylinder dropped from Zavio¡¯s sleeve.


    The second it hit the ground¡ª


    BOOM.


    A flash grenade.


    Smoke and white-hot light engulfed the arena.


    Ravia¡¯s gaze flickered. ¡°Good move by Zavio.¡±


    Darius made a face and took a swig of his drink.


    Inside the cloud, Cale stumbled back, blinded. He barely had time to react before¡ª


    CRACK.


    A long, glowing whip of electric energy snapped out of the smoke and wrapped around his leg.


    Ravia¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Look at that. The kid made him use his trump card.¡±


    Darius groaned. ¡°Goddamn rich kids. Your brother just outright bought him a fifteen million cred Integra.¡±


    Ravia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Life¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Cale gritted his teeth, struggling, but the whip coiled tighter, locking his movement.


    From the smoke, Zavio emerged, his face twisted in a furious, shaken snarl. His composure was gone.


    His hands trembled. His breath came faster.


    He wasn¡¯t gloating anymore. He was pissed.


    And scared.


    Zavio yanked the whip, electricity surging through Cale¡¯s body.


    Cale jerked violently as a surge of electrical mana wracked his body. Ravia and Darius watched silently.


    Then¡ª


    Zavio raised his pistol.


    Darius sighed. ¡°The kid fought well.¡±


    Darius took a sideglance at Ravia, but she was dead quiet, just silently looking at the screen, swirling a drink in her hand, she hadn¡¯t touched in a while.


    Another shot.


    And another.


    And another.


    Each one hammering into Cale¡¯s chest, locking him in place, forcing him to endure every last second of it.


    Then¡ªone final snap of the whip.


    Cale¡¯s body collapsed into the sand.


    Silence filled the room.


    Darius exhaled through his teeth. ¡°Damn.¡±


    Ravia remained still. Watching. Thinking.


    The screen showed Zavio standing over Cale¡¯s fallen body. But he wasn¡¯t smiling. He wasn¡¯t celebrating.


    He was breathing heavy. He was shaken.


    He looked at Cale¡¯s motionless form like he wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d won.


    Ravia tapped her fingers against her arm. ¡°Were we too hasty?¡±


    Darius arched an eyebrow. ¡°Are you, Ravia Wryn, asking someone a question?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I think I know everything?¡±


    ¡°Your words, not mine.¡±


    Ravia and Darius watched each other, eyes having a wordless conversation.


    ¡°He¡¯s a huge risk, Darius,¡± Ravia finally said.


    ¡°How long did it take for you to get to Middle Body Tempering?¡±


    ¡°Fourth stage?¡± Ravia asked. ¡°I started cultivation at seven, got there at nine.¡±


    ¡°Took me two years too,¡± Darius said. ¡°I watched this kid go from base of second stage to fourth in two hours.¡±


    Ravia scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s easier for adults, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°He took down Scarroid¡­¡± Darius said trailing off. ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°And now he is fighting toe to toe with a Mana Circuitry cultivator,¡± Ravia finished the thought for him.


    Darius shrugged, nonchalantly. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is, kid¡¯s got potential.¡±


    *


    Cale¡¯s body jerked violently as he was ejected from the simulation pod.


    The world rushed back in¡ªfluorescent ceiling lights, the cool bite of recycled air, the distant hum of the control panel.


    Pain lingered in his limbs, residual echoes of electrocution still thrumming through his nerves. His fingers twitched. His chest felt hollow, tight.


    Goddamn it hurts¡­ But¡­ It was a good try.


    For a moment, he just breathed. With slow, lethargic movement he reached for his mana crystal pouch, and plucked three more crystals. Aura blabbed on about the nervous damage, but Cale didn¡¯t want to listen. After feeding Aura the energy he just lied there and waited for the pain to recede.


    [A.U.R.A skill advanced.]


    [Molecular Tissue Regeneration: 3]


    Then¡ªhe forced himself up.


    Across the room, Zavio was already standing. His pod had opened a second earlier, and he¡¯d stepped out with the same practiced ease as someone exiting a luxury vehicle.


    But something was off.


    The way he rolled his shoulders¡ªtoo stiff. The way he adjusted his vest¡ªtoo sharp.


    The way his hands shook for half a second before he shoved them into his pockets.


    He¡¯s rattled.


    Cale¡¯s vision swam, but his grin felt sharper.


    Zavio turned, masking his unease with a sneer. ¡°And that¡¯s how you put a dog down.¡±


    Cale exhaled through his nose. His body was screaming, his muscles weak and sore, but his mind was laser-focused.


    He wasn¡¯t done.


    He stepped forward.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    Zavio¡¯s smirk flickered. ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡±


    Cale stared Zavio down.  ¡°Again.¡±


    Zavio laughed, but it was a half-second too late. ¡°Are you brain-dead, trash? Best of three. I already won.¡±


    Cale kept walking. Slow, steady.


    ¡°One. More. Time.¡±


    Zavio scoffed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many times we fight. You¡¯re not even Mana Circuitry. You can¡¯t beat me, trash.¡±


    Cale stopped a few feet away, tilting his head. His body was exhausted, but he didn¡¯t care. He knew what he wanted. He wanted a win. And he was going to get it.


    ¡°You sure about that?¡±


    Zavio¡¯s jaw clenched.


    Fiara rushed between them and turned to Cale. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Your nervous system¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Cale said.


    Fiara blinked and then muttered. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even be standing¡­¡±


    Cale just grinned and gently pushed her aside without taking his eyes off Zavio.


    ¡°You idiot¡­¡± Fiara muttered.


    Cale just kept his eyes on Zavio, hard and keen.


    Zavio¡¯s fingers twitched at his sides. ¡°You¡¯re not worth my time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Cale raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then why do you look nervous?¡±


    Zavio flinched ever so slightly. There was a flicker in his eyes. A sharp inhale.


    Then¡ªanger.


    Zavio scoffed, masking it with another sneer. ¡°You¡¯re beneath me, commoner. I entertained you long enough. Go crawl back to whatever gutter you came from. The record is set.¡±


    Cale took another step forward. ¡°One more. Off the record.¡±


    Zavio¡¯s teeth grit. ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    Cale smirked. ¡°Scared?¡±


    Zavio¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Know your place, you little¡ª¡±


    BZZT.


    A voice cut through the room.


    Ravia Wren.


    ¡°Zavio.¡±


    The intercom crackled with static, then silence.


    Zavio stiffened.


    Ravia¡¯s voice was smooth. Commanding. Absolute.


    ¡°You will fight one last time.¡±


    Zavio turned toward the ceiling speaker, eyes flashing. ¡°Madam Wren, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Was I unclear?¡±


    Zavio shut his mouth.


    Fiara swallowed hard.


    Cale just grinned wider.


    Ravia let the silence hang before delivering her final verdict.


    ¡°Step into the pod.¡±


    Click. The intercom cut out.


    Zavio¡¯s fists curled. His face was unreadable. ¡°This time I will break you, trash. Enjoy your coma.¡±


    Cale cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders.


    ¡°This time¡­¡± Cale mused. ¡°This time you¡¯ll learn respect.¡±

 CHAPTER 16 - TURNING THE TIDES

    Cale reappeared into existence in the middle of the coliseum. He breathed in the arid, hot air, savoring it. This felt right. There was still some lingering pain in his body, but not enough to hamper his movement of mind and body. Aura worked fast.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± she asked.


    Cale scoffed. ¡°I was born ready¡ª quite literally, actually.¡±


    Cale found that he did not fear. His heart was pounding steadily, and when he picked up the hoverboard from his back, his hands were dry and steady. He couldn¡¯t help but to grin.


    I can¡¯t believe there are do-overs.


    His baseline was fighting to death for your dear life. That meant adapting a certain style. But this¡­ This was simply a game.


    What do I have to lose? Some pride? Suffer through some pain?


    That was a cheap price to pay for limit testing his ability.


    Fifty feet away stood Zavio. He was bristling. His previously steady arm was shaking now. Gone was the relax poise that Zavio had stood with in their first bout. Now he was taut like a strung bow. Cale watched the tension in his foes'' shoulders. Zavio was on the backfoot before the fight had even started. And the fool didn¡¯t even realize that.


    Cale¡¯s mind was clear. It was a beautiful feeling. He had no fear or hesitation. He had nothing to lose, everything to gain. He smiled to himself and felt the crunch of sand under his feet.


    Cale took a step forward, and immediately Zavio tightened even further. His ornate pistol started whining, but Cale didn¡¯t mind. He just smiled to himself.


    Cale knew by now that his aim at this range was shoddy at best. With Aura¡¯s predictive model, there was no way he was in danger at this range. He would need to play this cool and approach with the right amount of aggression.


    Cale knew Zavio was a deadly marksman¡ªat thirty feet or less. Beyond that? A glorified target shooter.


    No real battlefield instincts. Just a rich boy playing hunter.


    That would be Cale¡¯s advantage.


    Too bad, I¡¯m no prey.


    So he kicked off the ground and sped towards his enemy.


    Zavio reacted immediately by launching a fusillade of golden energy at him. Aura laughed gleefully and red orbs appeared in Cale¡¯s vision. He would just have to avoid the orbs and weave between them. Simple, really. Favio¡¯s weapon kept snapping and the bolts of energy kept piercing the orbs. Cale bobbed and weaved and got closer.


    When he was twenty feet away, Zavio brandished his whip. Cale had expected that so he swerved to the right, dodging a lash, then ducking under an arcing wide shot from the pistol.


    ¡°The whip complicates things,¡± Aura said. ¡°But I am adding it to the prediction model.¡±


    Cale nodded. It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand Zavio¡¯s tactics. Pressure with the gun, keep the enemy away with the whip. But Cale had a trump card Zavio didn¡¯t know about. He smirked to himself.


    Are you watching, Ravia? This is why Darius chose me.


    Cale dodged another barrage of bullets and flew higher, ten feet into the air. It seemed to be the natural limit of the hoverboard. Safety regulations be damned, but Cale would have to work with them.


    He circled around over Zavio¡¯s head like a shark on wings. His gameplan was simple here. Flying around on the hoverboard was free real estate. Using the whip and the weapon? That cost mana. Not to mention, the look on Zavio¡¯s red face was priceless.


    Cale circled Zavio from above, twisting the hoverboard with a deftness that sent him soaring in close, then darting out of range whenever the crackling whip lashed up. Aura marked those with a blue glowing streak in his vision. Cale made sure to be high enough that only vertical lashes were possible for Zavio.


    From his perch, Cale could see Zavio¡¯s face twisted in fury, mouth pressed into a bitter line. He was breathing hard through his nose, the whip humming as it gathered electricity at the handle. The crackling energy around it would intensify just before Zavio struck.


    ¡°Keep running, worm!¡± Zavio bellowed, turning in tight circles to follow Cale¡¯s loops. ¡°The second you get close, I¡¯ll blast you out of the sky.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Worm, dog, trash,¡± Cale called and shook his head in faux regret as he clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a dictionary for Christmas.¡±


    Zavio blinked stupidly, most likely confused at the mention of a happy family holiday. Cale used this moment of confusion to go for the kill. He surged downwards in a twisting spin to gather momentum, the front of the hoverboard aimed at Zavio¡¯s skin.


    But the enemy was ready. Zavio¡¯s eyes glinted with malicious triumph. He abruptly raised his free hand and pressed a blue gemstone on one of his rings. An almost imperceptible pulse emanated from the ring. Cale felt a lurch inside him.


    Then his hoverboard sputtered mid-flight.


    Cale felt the repulsors jerk, as though someone had snatched the board¡¯s mana flow by the throat. The stabilizers flickered and died. He had just enough time to suck in a breath before the entire frame went limp under his feet.


    He crashed hard onto the sand.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Zavio said in mock pity. ¡°Looks like someone weak enough to rely on external Integra.¡±


    Before Cale could even process what  Zavio meant, a flare of pain spiked through Cale¡¯s back and shoulders. Aura yelped in his mind. He tried to scramble to all fours and keep distance, but it was too late. Zavio was already on him, electric whip crackling with a fresh wave of raw power.


    ¡°You dare challenge me, and you are not even Mana Circuitry,¡± Zavio snarled. ¡°Any half-decent cultivator can dismantle your hoverboard with a basic Anti-Mana pulse. But I bet you didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    The bright coil lanced forward, snapping around Cale¡¯s ribs. Zavio yanked his whip, tightening the coil. The jolt of electrical mana hit Cale like pure acid poured straight into his bloodstream. His teeth clamped shut to keep from screaming. He sank to his knees and the whip loosened around him. But before he could move, he was lashed, and a searing pain on his shoulder opened. The gash started bleeding profusely and Cale clamped a hand on it. Zavio grinned.


    Another lash. Another. Each strike brought a new wave of agony that stiffened his limbs and threatened to knock him senseless. The simulation might not kill him for real, but it sure as hell made the pain feel real enough.


    Zavio¡¯s grin was positively feral. ¡°You like that? Not so tough now, huh?¡± He lashed the whip, spinning it in the air before it coiled around Cale¡¯s body, trapping his arms against his sides.


    Cale did his best to stay upright, eyes screwed shut. He would not collapse. The lash tightened around his chest. He could feel his mana sense flaring, a strangled reflex of self-preservation. The whip was pouring raw energy into him with each pulse.


    Raw energy¡­? This is Mana.


    A slow realization dawned on him. He reached inside, extended his senses into that scorching flow of electricity. It crackled and danced inside him with a clear point, leaving aftershades. Like a pinball made of pain.


    The energy flared inside him like pure fire. It hurt. No, not just hurt. It was agony burning through every nerve in his body. But that fool, Zavio, was content to just keep tormenting him like this.


    Stupid little sadist.


    Cale breathed out, and found a place in his mind, where he could detach from the pain. It was not easy, but this was the same kind of cultivation he had done before. The mana from the murderbots had fought him too. It had also hurt. It had also stormed inside him.


    And he had controlled it.


    Little by little, Cale gathered the lightning energy inside him to swirl around his solar plexus in a roiling heavy cloud, that was not quite gaseous, not quite liquid. He reached deep inside, and the small globules of mana that the stream was made bounced against each other aggressively. Little by little, he calmed them. He breathed with them, attuned them to his will.


    And once Cale had gathered enough, he sent it back at Zavio.


    Zavio was too furious to catch on fast enough. He flicked the handle again, mouth twisted in rage. ¡°Stop squirming you¡ª¡±


    But the whip fizzled out in a final arc of sparks. The handle glowed a weak blue, sending off a few stray sparks, then it cracked, leaving Zavio gaping in sudden horror.


    Cale still knelt in the sand, breath ragged, body ablaze with leftover electric power. He gathered it. Attuned it to himself. Made it his. In a few more breaths, Cale had conquered it. A savage chill crept over him.


    Zavio staggered back, eyes wild. ¡°W-what did you¡ª¡±


    Cale stood.


    Zavio threw down a flashbang and raised his pistol, but Cale was ready. In a blur of spent mana he came up to Zavio, grabbed his gunwrist and headbutted the bastard on his nose. It broke under a satisfying crunch. Zavio¡¯s head was knocked back, he groaned and fell on his ass.


    Cale¡¯s teeth clenched. Do I make him pay?


    Zavio had humiliated and tormented him in the first duel. Crushing his skull. His ears still rang with the residual pain. He wondered how long until the nerve pain would heal, or what it would cost him. Cale wanted to pay him back.


    He wanted to. He grimaced and that darkness whispered to him sweet promises of satisfaction.


    No. That is not the kind of person I want to be.


    But there was a difference between being merciful and being soft.


    Cale was not soft. There was no room for it.


    Cale closed his eyes, raised his hand, and the power gathered the palm of his hand. It felt like a million frantic fish were swimming there, the energy bouncing off itself, gathering. It thrummed with raw power.


    Zavio scrambled back, panting. His hands clawed at the sand. He simply couldn¡¯t process it.


    ¡°T-this¡­ this isn¡¯t possible,¡± he choked out, eyes darting to the fading sparks on his whip.


    Cale stepped closer, his own fingers crackling with white-blue voltage.


    ¡°No,¡± Zavio whispered. His pupils shrank. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re nothing. You can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Cale raised his hand.


    A single white-blue bolt of raw mana roared forward. A fierce gale rippled the sand. It blasted clean through Zavio¡¯s chest, leaving him no time to scream. He simply ceased to be, a burning hole where his heart should¡¯ve been.


    For a long, drawn-out moment, the air was silent except for the dying whir of the broken hoverboard. Zavio¡¯s body collapsed onto the ground, limbs splayed as though he¡¯d been struck by lightning.


    Cale sank to both knees, exhaling until his lungs were empty. No more rage. No more electricity. Just a seeping fatigue and the sweet earned release of victory. He spat out sand and blood from his mouth and watched with great satisfaction as Zavio¡¯s lifeless body started fading out.


    The simulation ended.


    *


    ¡°That little monster¡­¡± Ravia said to herself, crossing her arms.


    Darius laughed openly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this kid pulled another rabbit out of the hat. Body Tempering beating a Mana Circuitry cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely unheard of,¡± Ravia muttered under her breath.


    Darius leaned back on the couch, spreading his arms. ¡°But enough to pique your interest?¡±


    Ravia turned from the screen to watch Darius like an angry owl. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she took two steps closer. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

 CHAPTER 17 - ADULT TABLE

    The simulation pod''s curved lid hissed open. Cale''s body jerked as the neural connections disengaged, leaving behind phantom pains that echoed through his limbs. His heart still hammered in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his system even though the fight had ended.


    For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the victory sink in.


    I actually did it.


    With a groan, he forced himself to sit up. His muscles protested, still believing they''d been thrown around the arena. His mind knew better, but his body hadn''t gotten the memo. The neural feedback from the simulation was no joke.


    Across the room, Zavio''s pod was already open. The blonde cultivator stood rigid, his back to Cale, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides. Even from behind, Cale could see the tremors running through his shoulders.


    As Cale swung his legs over the edge of the pod, Zavio finally turned. His face was flushed bright red, a stark contrast to the pristine white of his dress shirt. A vein pulsed visibly at his temple.


    "You¡ª" Zavio started, then seemed to choke on whatever he''d been about to say. His eyes were wide with something between rage and disbelief.


    Cale couldn''t help himself. "Me," he agreed, flashing a tired grin.


    Wrong move.


    Zavio crossed the distance between them in three quick strides, stopping just short of grabbing Cale by his shirt. "You cheated," he hissed.


    "Funny," Cale said, still not standing up. "I don''t remember breaking any rules."


    "No one at Body Tempering can discharge mana like that," Zavio spat. "No one."


    "First time for everything," Cale said with a shrug.


    Fiara stepped between them, her expression carefully neutral. "The match is over, Zavio. The results stand."


    Zavio''s gaze snapped to her, then back to Cale. Something cold and calculating replaced the raw fury in his eyes. He straightened his back, smoothed down his shirt, and took a deliberate step away.


    "You think you''re clever," he said, voice dropping low. "Playing your little tricks. Hiding whatever it is you''re hiding." A thin smile appeared on his face. "It won''t matter. Not in the long run."


    Cale stood up, wincing as his knees protested. "Did you rehearse this in front of a mirror?¡±


    Zavio''s smile didn''t waver. "Laugh while you can. At the Corussi entrance exams, there won''t be any unofficial matches or second chances. When I see you there¡ªand I will see you there¡ªyou''ll understand what real power looks like."


    "Looking forward to it," Cale said evenly.


    Zavio''s eye twitched. For a second, Cale thought he might snap again. Instead, he adjusted his cuffs with deliberate precision.


    "Enjoy this moment," Zavio said softly. "It''s all you''re going to get."


    With that, he turned on his heel and strode from the room, back perfectly straight, shoulders squared. The door slammed behind him with enough force to make the simulation pods vibrate.


    A moment of silence stretched between Cale and Fiara. Then, unexpectedly, she let out a short laugh.


    "Well," she said, shaking her head, "you certainly know how to make an impression."


    Cale rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the lingering stiffness. "Not exactly what I was going for."


    "Wasn''t it?" Fiara raised an eyebrow. "You could have thrown the match. Probably should have."


    "And miss that expression on his face?" Cale grinned. "Not a chance."


    Fiara studied him for a moment. "You really didn''t care about the consequences, did you?"


    "Should I have?"


    "Most would," she said. "Zavio''s family has connections. He¡¯s madam Wren¡¯s nephew."


    Cale shrugged. "So I''ve got one more person who wants to kill me. What else is new?"


    "You''re either very brave or very stupid," Fiara said, but there was no bite to her words. If anything, she sounded almost impressed.


    "Why not both?" Cale suggested and gave her a winning smile.


    The corner of Fiara''s mouth twitched upward. "Both is definitely on the table." She checked her wrist device. "Come on. Madam Wren wants to see you."


    Cale blinked. "Wait, right now?¡±


    "Of course right now," Fiara said, already walking toward the door. "You just beat a Mana Circuitry cultivator while still in Body Tempering. Did you think that wouldn''t get attention?"


    Cale followed her, his legs steadier with each step. "When you put it that way..."


    As they exited the simulation room, Cale allowed himself a moment to really savor what had just happened. He had faced a stronger opponent¡ªsomeone with more resources, more training, more of everything¡ªand he had won. Not through luck, but through his own abilities.


    Maybe I do belong in this world after all.


    The victory tasted sweet, sweeter than he''d expected. The adrenaline was rushing so hard, his ears were thrumming to his heartbeat. And the swelling, expanding, spreading, all encompassing, undeniable, inevitable, unstoppable feeling of victory overcame him, putting an unwilling smile on his face. Cale embraced it fully. This was his moment to enjoy.


    It wasn''t just about beating Zavio. It was about proving something to himself. That he could adapt. That he could survive. That despite being thrown into this ruthless world without warning, he could still hold his own.


    It wasn''t going to be easy. Zavio''s threat wasn''t idle¡ªthe Corussi entrance exams would probably be a whole different game. And now he''d made an enemy, one with resources and connections.


    But for the first time since waking up in that abandoned facility, Cale felt something close to confidence. Not just the desperate determination to survive, but actual belief that he could do more than just survive¡ªhe could thrive.


    "You''re smiling like an idiot," Fiara noted as they walked.


    "Just enjoying the moment," Cale replied.


    "Well, enjoy faster," she said, gesturing down the hallway. "Conference room''s this way, and Madam Wren doesn''t like to be kept waiting."


    Cale quickened his pace, the lingering aches from the simulation already fading. Whatever came next¡ªwhatever Ravia Wren wanted from him¡ªhe''d face it the same way he''d faced Zavio.


    Head-on, no backing down.


    *


    Cale sat on a cushy office chair, hands clasped on a massive black marble slab of a table. It must have spanned fifty feet, and it dominated the otherwise white room. Cale looked at his hands. His reflection shone so aggressively off the polished stone, that he had been nervous to place his hands on it, lest he stain the table and make a bad impression.


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    I already made my impression in the duel. Stop being nervous.


    Gone was his righteous anger that he had directed at Zavio. Cale was sweating, but he resolved to wait and see what happened. He wasn¡¯t sure what was to come. What he wanted was clear. A place in the organization. A foothold for him to start making himself stronger, so he could thrive in this world and figure out who he was.


    But who knew what this meant. Maybe he had blundered and embarrassed some old money cultivator family. Maybe the Gray Lotus had decided to dissect him for Aura after all. Cale clasped his damp hands harder.


    The silence in the room felt heavy. The kind that weighed on his shoulders, like the tightening of air before a storm.


    Cale wasn¡¯t sure if he was being rewarded or sentenced. The uncertainty sat in his stomach like a stone.


    The duel had been one thing. That had been physical, something he could fight through.


    This? This was the unknown.


    Then a heavy, black mahogany door swung open. Ravia Wren strode in, each step measured, heels clicking against the stone. She didn¡¯t speak right away. Instead, she took her time, stopping just short of the table¡¯s head.


    Her gaze swept the room, assessing, calculating, Maybe checking for hidden drones or other spyware. Then, finally, she looked at Cale. A pause. A nod.


    The gesture was small. Precise. Like a judge acknowledging a defendant.


    Cale scrambled up immediately. The chair scraped the floor behind him and Cale suppressed a wince as Ravia stared him down.


    Darius followed, one hand in pocket, another idly swinging his umbrella. With a casual motion, he pulled out a chair, spun it around, and straddled it backwards, resting his arms across the top.


    ¡°Relax, kid. Sit down.¡±


    After all of them were settled down, Ravia spoke.


    ¡°Let me cut to the chase. You impressed us with the duel. Not only did you show adaptability and clear talent. You also showed tremendous grit. Frankly, it is curious you are not breathing through a tube after two simulated deaths.¡±


    ¡°It is part of my Integra, Aura,¡± Cale said, then added. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°You will address me as Madam Wren,¡± Ravia said. ¡°As for your Integra. You are to write a full debrief to me immediately after this discussion is over.¡±


    Cale relaxed and unclasped his hands. He wasn¡¯t in trouble.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Darius said and plucked a pill from his pocket. It was the size of an eyeball and white and dimly translucent. ¡°Glassweed pill. To heal nerve damage.¡±


    Darius placed it on the marble table with a click and flicked it at Cale. It shot out like a bullet. Cale managed to catch it by clasping both hands on it at the edge of the table. The force of it pushed his chair back.


    Darius winked at Cale and Ravia gave him a disapproving look.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Relaxes your nervous system,¡± Darius said, folding his arms on the chair¡¯s backrest again. ¡°The physical strain, pain and death aren¡¯t really happening in the simulation chamber. But your brain and nervous system can¡¯t tell the difference. You¡¯re overloaded, or should be at least. Take it before you sleep tonight.¡±


    Ravia watched Darius like a particularly fed up owl, before she continued.


    ¡°I am accepting you into the Gray Lotus as a junior operative. You will be under direct tutelage of Darius Roas. You answer directly to him. You are not directly beholden to any other operative, although I suggest you make more allies than enemies. If a matter requires my attention, Darius will bring it to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cale nodded and smiled earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m happy to be on board. But I don¡¯t really know anything. What do I need to know?¡±


    Ravia pursed her lips and looked at Darius who nodded and turned to Cale.


    ¡°We¡¯re operatives, kid. That¡¯s the best job in the world. So the way a megacorporation like Gray Lotus works is that we accumulate power. Every faction has their own way of doing that. The Whispers are in the business of selling and buying intel, as well as perform assassinations, sabotage, the works. Gilded Gear Consortium has consolidated under themselves the majority of the Integra market. They build and they trade.¡±


    ¡°And what do we do?¡± Cale asked.


    Darius let a self-satisfied smile linger on his lips before answering. ¡°Whatever it takes.¡±


    ¡°The Gray Lotus syndicate is not specialized,¡± Ravia said. ¡°We trade when it suits us, spy when it suits us, go to war when it suits us. You have no techniques yet, and your Integra remains an enigma, seemingly even to you for the large part. You will have no specialization until we find your aptitudes. What you will do under Darius is learn.¡±


    ¡°Operatives are the tool with which the power is acquired and kept,¡± Darius said. ¡°Any mortal can run the assembly lines, or rub out trade deals. Hell, some of the more braver and stupider ones even work as spies. But us¡­ We are a different breed. We delve old Nevani ruins for loot. We fight other factions in border skirmishes. We secure key resources. But don¡¯t think we are just the muscle. We are the backbone of the whole organization. Power begets power.¡±


    ¡°So we are mercenaries?¡± Cale asked.


    Darius scoffed. ¡°Such a droll word. What we are is so much more.  We don¡¯t get paid in money. We get paid in pure power. This is the game, kid. You¡¯ll get stronger, live hundreds of years, climb the ladder, get more and more.¡±


    ¡°To what end?¡± Cale asked.


    Both Ravia and Darius looked at him as if confused. Then they looked at each other and Cale watched as they exchanged a wordless discussion which ended in Darius shrugging.


    ¡°There is no end to the Drive,¡± Ravia said. ¡°Drive is the realization of your potential. Gray Lotus understands perfectly well that every operative is out for themselves. What we are telling you is that we can facilitate the Drive in a way that you can never match alone. Play along and be loyal, and be rewarded¡­¡±


    Ravia let the implications hang. Cale wasn¡¯t a fan of unresolved threats.


    ¡°Go rogue, and get squashed?¡± he finished.


    Ravia gave a faint nod. ¡°Smart kid.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Drive?¡±


    Darius got up from the chair in one smooth motion and started pacing along the table. Cale noted that he liked doing that when he lectured. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know much yet. But cultivation gets real damn difficult after the early stages. You thought it¡¯s just some breathwork and visualizing energy inside of you? It¡¯s a journey to self. Drive is the discovery of why. You won¡¯t really have to face it before you reach the peak of Mana Circuitry. But you won¡¯t break through to Core Formation before you make a realization of who you are.¡±


    ¡°What was your realization?¡± Cale asked.


    Darius stopped pacing and grinned. ¡°That I¡¯m a selfish bastard.¡±


    ¡°I bet that came to you pretty fast¡­¡± Cale muttered, and Ravia stifled a chuckle.


    Cale fell silent. In his short time alive he had no illusions about cultivation being hard. But he had thought he could push forward ad infinitum with sheer grit. Like a ladder he could climb rung by rung. But no. This business with the Drive sounded more like a locked door. And he didn¡¯t even see a keyhole. He barely knew who he was.


    ¡°As for your current situation,¡± Ravia¡¯s cool tone snapped Cale back from rumination to reality. ¡°Your situation is precarious. The intel on you already sold. A green kid with a special True Integra. You¡¯ll be attracting a lot of eyeballs.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we need to put you on an expedited path to the Corussi academy. The first years there are spent mostly with your peers of the Gray Lotus.¡±


    ¡°Will I be safe there?¡±


    Darius shrugged. ¡°No. You¡¯ll still have to claw your way out of the program, which is fairly dangerous. But you¡¯re surely dead meat if you stay out in the open.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll get paid the better I fare in the academy?¡± Cale added dryly.


    ¡°That too,¡± Darius said with an easy smile.


    ¡°The problem is that initially we were going to put you in the academy in thirteen months,¡± Ravia said. ¡°This would have given you enough time to reach higher cultivation to take the entrance exam.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have that long.¡±


    ¡°You have thirty three days. That¡¯s when the next entrance exam is.¡±


    Cale nodded slowly. ¡°What does the entrance exam entail?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing much,¡± Darius said and inspected his nails. ¡°Only a brutal competition with other cultivators your age, desperate for a spot in the Corussi academy, since training there is incredibly valuable. All of them have been training for this moment since they were big enough to use the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Crass,¡± Ravia said.


    ¡°You talk then,¡± Darius said and sat back down. Ravia shook his head and then turned back to Cale.


    ¡°You will enter a gambit. You will train like hell and try to get as high as you can to give you a chance in the entrance exam.¡±


    Ravia let the silence stretch. It was unnerving, but if Cale flinched here, he never stood a chance. So he tried to relax and waited. Eventually Ravia would finish. By now Cale knew there was always more to whatever she said.


    "Your performance against Zavio has bought you a month. If you fail¡ª¡±


    She met his gaze. Held it.


    ¡°¡ªwe discard you. Understood?¡±


    Cale felt a budding feeling inside him. Thirty three days to advance. Thirty three days for a chance to get into this super elite cultivator school. If he could not make it, he would be destroyed. Cale found he was not scared of the prospect. He knew he should have been terrified.


    But he wasn¡¯t. He was excited. A strange thrill pulsed inside him. His greed awoke and it hungered. Was this his Drive? Was this who Cale was?


    Slowly, a smile spread on Cale¡¯s face. Darius tilted his head and looked at Cale, a small smile of his own playing at his lips. Ravia stayed still and emotionless. But her eyes were fixed on Cale like a bird of prey.


    Cale leaned back. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±

 CHAPTER 18 - MENTORSHIP

    ¡°You don¡¯t even realize what a mountain of catching up you have, don¡¯t you?¡± Darius asked as he paced around in the dojo, which was a few floors below the corporate office. While the design was a lot more functional, it still emanated opulence and power.


    Ornate tatami mats of silver and black decorated the floor in the pattern of a chess board. The air smelled of sweet and fragrant incense and there was the distinct strange feel of dense mana in the room. The walls were the color of a bright blood red with gold rimmed paintings of regal looking cultivators working on various techniques. The rhythm of the walls was always the same. Red marble pillar with golden scrollwork against the wall, a painting perfectly in the middle, another red marble pillar.


    ¡°I prefer it that way,¡± Cale said. ¡°Gotta protect the confidence.¡±


    Darius made a face of approval. ¡°You¡¯re a strange kid, you know that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you chose me, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. But don¡¯t get too cocky, just because baby took his first steps. Time for a crash course in cultivator combat.¡±


    ¡°Finally he is making himself useful!¡± Aura piped up. ¡°All this politicking and talking has been a snoozefest. I demand blood! Blood for the Blood Goddess Aura!¡±


    ¡°Knock it off, you maniac,¡± Cale said and laughed.


    ¡°Talking to the Integra again?¡± Darius asked.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± Cale said. ¡°It¡¯d be easier if she could be part of the conversation.¡±


    ¡°No, no, this is pretty amusing like this,¡± Darius said and cocked an eyebrow.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Aura said smugly. ¡°He has a point sometimes, you know.¡±


    ¡°Okay, enough play,¡± Darius said and pulled back a sleeve, revealing the strange blue bracelet with a small glass panel. He pressed it a few times rhythmically and a portal appeared. Darius plucked a set of items from the portal and placed them in a row on a silver tatami mat.


    Darius pointed at a small cylinder which Cale recognized well. ¡°Flashbang.¡±


    Then at an ornate gun with sigils on it. ¡°Mana pistol.¡±


    Then a leather belt with a large sigil on a solid silver buckle. ¡°Mana barrier device.¡±


    And finally at something that looked like a bundled hairnet. ¡°Personal cloaking device.¡±


    Cale nodded slowly. Darius turned a sharp eye on him. ¡°Standard issue gear for an operator. The pistol is optional, but everyone carries some kind of weapon. Do you know what all of these have in common?¡±


    Cale shrugged. ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use any of it,¡± Darius said flatly. ¡°These all require you to route mana into them in a pattern, which you cannot do because you physically lack the Mana Circuitry.¡±


    ¡°Let me try that,¡± Cale said and picked up the pistol. It looked a lot like what Zavio had been packing, without the ostentatious ornamentation. Cale recognized it from his old memories. It was not like a gun he would describe as ¡°modern¡±. This had the design of a flintlock, although sleeker, more angular. Cale extended his arm. The gun had a nice weight to it.


    Cale pressed a finger inside the pouch of mana crystals in his pocket. He inhaled a tiny sliver of it, and it went straight to swirling in his solar plexus. From there he tried to bring it to his hand and fingers and into his gun. The energy moved, although Cale had to strain and it was slow. It took a good several seconds to get the mana flowing and into his palm. But his fingers was as far as the mana was going.


    ¡°Aura,¡± Cale said under a strained breath. ¡°Anything I can do?¡±


    ¡°What do you expect me to do?¡± Aura said haughtily. ¡°I am not attuned to this crude weapon.¡±


    ¡°Well?¡± Darius asked, cocking an eyebrow.


    Cale sighed and lowered the gun.


    ¡°Curious,¡± Darius said. ¡°I figured there was a chance you might have been able to use these, considering you can shoot out pure energy out of your hands.¡±


    ¡°Tell him that is very different. I am a collection of millions of tiny organisms inside you. I have the prerequisite sigils for you to expunge mana. But I cannot attune to these primitive devices.¡±


    Cale repeated what Aura said. Darius was surprisingly muted, listening raptly as he stroked his chin.


    ¡°Alright, good,¡± Darius then said. ¡°That brings me back to my point. You¡¯re weak. You can¡¯t use any of the standard issue equipment, which gives you a massive disadvantage. It makes you predictable and one dimensional. Your only saving grace is that your opponents can¡¯t sense what stage of advancement you are, so you can bluff.¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least I have an advantage.¡±


    ¡°We need to give you more, if you want to stay alive, kid,¡± Darius said. ¡°I can¡¯t bring you up to Mana Circuitry overnight, but I can give you a technique.¡±


    ¡°What kind of technique?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Darius said. ¡°Now you¡¯re asking the interesting questions. See, that¡¯s what I want to know too. What kind of technique will you choose?¡±


    Darius swiped away the gear on the tatami mat back into the portal and instead plucked out three objects. He flourished his hand and they all started to hover in midair. A red cube, a blue orb and a green triangle, all of them glowing with mana, equidistant from each other.


    Cale looked at the strange floating objects in a sense of wonder. They were geometrically perfect and shone with a magical light, their form playing with the line of light and matter.


    ¡°What do they do?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Touch one,¡± Darius said.


    Cale walked up to the red cube which was closest to him and placed a hand on it. Immediately everything around him turned into white nothingness, and two figures appeared. Simple faceless and featureless dolls facing each other in front of Cale. One of them leaned backwards in a battle stance, placing weight on the backfoot. Its arm was fully extended behind him. Then the doll shifted weight. It took a deft and fast step forward and the arm lashed down, arcing above the head in one smooth motion. Crackles of red energy sparked as the fist of the attacker hit the standing doll. The doll¡¯s head cracked and it collapsed.


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    Then the dolls vanished and reappeared in their starting position. The attacker did a variation this time. Instead of an overhead smash, it was a heavy forward thrusting punch with an aggressive forward step. There was a slight red spike of energy extending from the knuckles of the attacker. The punch of the attacker hit the abdomen of the other doll, and it folded in half and flew back ten feet, tumbled and went limp.


    Powerful. It¡¯s like magic martial arts.


    Cale wanted to see what the other techniques were. He touched the floating cube in the middle of the whiteness. How did he know it would take him back? He just did. And indeed, when Cale touched the cube, he was back in the ostentatious dojo. Darius looked at him expectantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s called the Crimson Claw,¡± Darius said.


    ¡°How pretentious,¡± Cale muttered.


    Darius chuckled. ¡°Hey, when you invent a technique, you can call it whatever the hell you like. But until then your job is to shut up and listen. How did you like the learning module?


    ¡°I like it,¡± Cale said. ¡°So I just follow their instructions, copy their form?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an external and internal component to each technique. External technique works like sigils. You know how sigils work?¡±


    Cale shook his head. Darius sighed.


    ¡°The short answer is that the Nevani figured out the language of the world. The sigils are what they called True Language. So we can draw ¡°Flight¡± in True Language on that stupid hoverboard of yours, and there you go. Techniques and the body work in a similar manner.¡±


    ¡°So I have to copy the motions and stances as accurately as I can to replicate the results?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°You catch up quick, kid,¡± Darius said and allowed a hint of a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not quite that strict, once you get better. Because then you will understand the idea behind the words of the True Language.¡±


    Cale cocked his head. He could hear Aura harrumph in frustration in his mind.


    Darius groaned. Then he took a battle stance, just like in the technique cube. Weight on his backfoot, one hand forward, poised. ¡°This is a stance that signifies power, balance, readiness. First you need to learn to perform the technique from this stance. It¡¯s the baseline. But once your technique refines you can use your understanding of the pose in other situations. That¡¯s where the internal part of the technique comes in.¡±


    Cale only nodded. He didn¡¯t want to say anything to interrupt or annoy Darius. He was in full sponge-mode.


    ¡°The internal part of the technique requires you to observe how your mana flows while you use the technique. The cube will show you the basic idea. You gather the mana into your backfoot and then surge it at the enemy with a fist, using as much movement to gather momentum as possible. With practice you will learn what that feels like. Mana works with certain principles. When you want it to attack, certain principles are used. When you need slow and intricate control, again, certain principles apply. Your job is to pay attention to how the energy inside you feels and moves when you use the technique. Then when you learn, you¡¯ll develop a knack for it. And then you can apply that knack more liberally.¡±


    Cale nodded. Darius took a step forward.


    ¡°And once you master both¡­¡±


    Darius moved fast, like a well-dressed shadow. Cale could only register a faint flicker of red on Darius¡¯s index finger, before it flicked Cale in the chest. A flash of urgent pain flared out on his sternum as he flew twenty feet in the air to the other side of the dojo, and rolled another ten for good measure. Cale coughed, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and got up.


    Without another word, Cale moved to touch the blue orb. Instantly he was in that white nothingness again, watching two dummies. Where the Crimson Claw technique¡¯s movements had been angular, fast, direct, the technique this module was presenting was smooth, methodical, fluid.


    One of the dummies attacked with a straight punch, chin tucked behind the shoulder. The primary dummy sidestepped and with an attack pressing index and middle finger against the thumb tacked the attacking dummy thrice on the shoulder and arm, like inputting a door code. Faint blue ripples erupted from the strike points. The arm went limp and the primary dummy hopped away to a safe distance.


    Okay, that¡¯s pretty awesome. But timing that in a real fight is going to be hard. Unless you restrain the enemy¡­


    Cale watched idly the primary dummy to perform the counter attack from different angles and positions against different attacks. The fluidity of the style felt more aesthetic to him than the direct power of the Crimson Claw, but eventually Cale touched the glowing blue orb again, and returned back.


    ¡°Well?¡± Darius said immediately.


    ¡°Seems complicated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Azure Point technique. Arguably the most powerful unarmed technique, because it lets you take on more powerful foes than yourself. But the disadvantage is that the Crimson Claw can be performed with a sword, while this... Well I suppose you can do that with a chopstick, but why not just stab the guy instead?¡±


    ¡°I agree, Cale said. ¡°But I assume this has other extrapolations?¡±


    Darius smirked. ¡°It does. It¡¯s very powerful after Core Formation when you learn to use external mana. Allows you to perform this technique from range.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Cale said, suddenly much more intrigued. A technique that can disable stronger opponents from range? That was power. Maybe he should choose this technique, because he could already expunge mana. ¡°That changes things.¡±


    Darius shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a good technique.¡±


    Cale placed a hand on the third technique¡ª the green triangle. The two dummies stood three feet away from each other in a natural stance. Then the other moved, lunging forward, fist extended. The primary doll slid backwards. Something uncanny happened.


    The primary doll became ethereal for just a blink, like a mirage, a hologram with a hint of a green outline. The punch struck it, but it didn¡¯t. As the primary dummy slid backwards, it solidified again.


    Cale¡¯s heart jumped. He wanted to see it again. The dolls started showing variations, and Cale focused on the nature of the movements of the primary doll. The movement was subtle. A flexing, tightening of every muscle and tendon. Then a sudden whole-body relaxation into the direction the doll was going to move.


    The dolls disappeared and reappeared. Another variation. The other doll was now wielding a straight sword with a thin blade. It swung in a wild horizontal arc. The primary doll moved towards the enemy. A faint green outline enveloped the primary doll¡¯s incorporeal form as it phased through the sword.


    Cale didn¡¯t need to be a battle-genius to see how ridiculously ahead of tempo the primary doll was now, if this were a real fight. The dolls disappeared and reappeared, now both of them wielding swords.


    Reluctantly, Cale placed a hand on the triangle.


    ¡°I want this one,¡± Cale said immediately.


    Darius scoffed. ¡°Really, kid? I have to tell you, I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Cale said. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This was about choosing what kind of a cultivator you are going to be,¡± Darius said and swiped the other two back in his wrist-portal. He left the green triangle, cementing Cale¡¯s choice. ¡°And you are choosing to run instead of attacking.¡±


    A pang only felt by scorn of those one respects ran through Cale. A heavy feeling akin to shame. He had to process it. His mind revisited each of the techniques and he weighed them. He tried to keep his mind clear, assess them fairly.


    ¡°What I personally think is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not now, Aura,¡± Cale said gently but firmly. ¡°I need to think this through myself.¡±


    Aura huffed, but went silent.


    Cale thought. Darius had the experience. But Cale knew himself. He knew he was right.


    ¡°You¡¯d have preferred me to take the Crimson Claw, right?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Darius said. ¡°That technique dominates. It is what I chose myself and I mastered it and thrived. It¡¯s not the guy with the best hand that wins. It¡¯s the aggressive players, attacking other people¡¯s stacks. Aggression keeps you in control.¡±


    ¡°How did that work for Scarroid?¡± Cale said. ¡°Seemed pretty aggressive to me.¡±


    Darius chuckled. ¡°Fair point I suppose, but the guy was a Core Formation cultivator, which is an ocean to your puddle. He just lacked poise.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying pure aggression alone is not enough. You need more?¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Of course you need more. But you need something to build on. And what winners do is they build themselves to dominate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get your point,¡± Cale said. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to build on that.¡±


    ¡°Uhhuh,¡± Darius said, cocking an eyebrow, crossing his arms. ¡°Why am I teaching you, if you know better?¡±


    ¡°When you were in my position, what stage were you at?¡± Cale asked. ¡°Preparing for the entrance exams?¡±


    ¡°Mana Circuitry, second stage,¡± Darius said immediately.


    ¡°So better than your peers?¡±


    Darius scoffed. ¡°What peers? Obviously I was better.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not,¡± Cale said, and to his surprise, Darius blinked and stopped. Cale continued. ¡°I¡¯m behind in knowledge and skill and even raw cultivation. I can¡¯t ¡®dominate¡¯ anyone and create a loop of self-feeding wins. I need to play a different game.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Darius said carefully. ¡°You got my attention.¡±


    ¡°I need to first secure a baseline. What did you say I have? Thirty three days to improve or I¡¯m out on the street and I¡¯ll die. How am I going to ¡®dominate¡¯ from a position like that? I¡¯m not. I need to first find my feet. I need to survive. There¡¯s plenty time to build my game, and add all these things I need to learn, like to dominate, exert aggression, and do it with the required poise. But I can¡¯t do any of that if I¡¯m dead, can I? So I need a technique that will help me keep alive, thank-you-very-much.¡±


    Darius raised his hands and took a step back, smirking all the while. ¡°If only you¡¯d fight as hard as you talked, you actually wouldn¡¯t need me at all. Alright, kid. I¡¯ll leave you with the technique, and send someone to bring you food. Let¡¯s see if you can survive long enough in this world to prove me wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Cale called before Darius left. ¡°What¡¯s the name of this technique?¡±


    ¡°Ghost-step,¡± Darius said. ¡°Get to learning it.¡±

 CHAPTER 19 - AUGMENTED TRAINING

    Cale spent a good hour watching the two dummies work. It went through four variations on the technique. Then a very slow motion demonstration from a solo dummy that was slightly larger than a regular human, and had no skin, so the muscles were visible. After that a bodiless voice in a flat, nasal female voice explained the principles of the technique.


    It was as Cale had figured. The Ghost Step technique required tension followed by relaxation. And the mana-work had to reflect that. The mana had to be dispersed evenly across the body for the technique to work. Then it needed to be pressurized into a smaller space, and released. It was quite simple, really. In theory.


    Cale watched it again. Slow. Then slower. The attacking dummy¡¯s punch soared through empty air, while the primary dummy dipped into this stance of total tension and then total release. It was subtle, but visible. It felt like the dummy was holding a breath while tense. Then an exhale that relaxed the body and turned it into translucent and ethereal, with a faint green hue surrounding it.


    How the hell am I going to move while being completely relaxed? Or completely tense for that matter.


    Cale shrugged. Thinking and watching wouldn¡¯t get him any further. He went to the green triangle and removed himself from the white space with the dummies. It was time to get to work.


    Cale mimicked the stance. He squared his shoulders, planted his back foot. First came the tension. He tried to tighten everything¡ªabs, arms, calves, core. But it felt like forcing puzzle pieces that didn¡¯t belong. His body trembled in protest, and his breathing hitched. Then, in a single exhale, he tried to let it all go.


    He ended up toppling sideways.


    ¡°Great,¡± he muttered, getting back to his feet. ¡°This might take a while.¡±


    He tried again. Tension, then release. Tension, release.


    After half an hour, he could manage something passable. On a good attempt, that intangible energy flickered in his veins and he could feel a shift. His hands flickered into momentary translucence just for half a heartbeat.


    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Cale muttered. ¡°How about you help me out a little here, Aura?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering when you remembered my exalted existence.¡± Aura¡¯s voice echoed in his mind, full of haughty glee. ¡°I was beginning to think you enjoyed flailing around like a half-witted chicken.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to help me or not?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I will have to or we will both end up dead. Or worse, you¡¯ll embarrass me,¡± Aura sniffed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see. Take up the exact stance the dummy had. Yes, like that. Stance is off by approximately nine degrees. Widen it.¡±


    Cale adjusted his feet. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Ninety-two percent correct,¡± Aura said. ¡°Elbow alignment is still slightly forward.¡±


    Cale frowned and shifted his elbow. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Perfect! See how fast you learn when you use my amazing capabilities!¡± Aura¡¯s smug satisfaction practically radiated through Cale¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Alright, good. Let me get a feel for it,¡± Cale said Then added. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Aura said. ¡°You learn fairly fast for a meatbag.¡±


    Cale chuckled and closed his eyes. He tried to get a feel where he was, what his body was doing. Then when he felt he had imprinted that sensation in his brain. He stepped out of the stance. Bounced and moved around a little, and sank back into the stance, and listened to Aura¡¯s corrective instructions. They spent an hour doing this, until Cale could sink back into the exact stance with over ninety-nine percent accuracy.


    It was only after that, long beyond the point of frustrated and clearly voiced boredom of Aura¡¯s that they continued.


    ¡°Now, begin tension from the toes upward. Just like that. Ah, do not skip your glutes. I said do not skip them! That¡¯s 83% tension. Innnnnnadequate!¡±


    Cale squeezed his buttcheeks together, tensed his toes, calves, pressed his hands into tight fists, held his breath and compressed his chest into a tight knot.


    ¡°Now relax¡ªyes, like that. Good. 95%. Smoother exhale next time. Breathe out starting from your toes.¡±


    ¡°Breathing through my¡ª you know what, never mind. Magic breathing¡­¡±


    Cale exhaled and released the constriction of mana he had built up inside him. The mana released and softened. Cale felt a shift. A weightlessness and lightness that boggled his mind. He looked at his hands. Completely transparent, with a green hue of an outline.


    He grinned. That was progress¡ªway better than his aimless attempts from before. He repeated the movement, each time letting Aura¡¯s machine-like corrections chip away at his mistakes. An hour passed, and another. They were honing in on the simple concept of ease. Cale needed to be able to perform this technique at will before any swords were coming his way.


    I still don¡¯t trust myself to phase through one, but I got the basic idea down.


    ¡°At this rate,¡± Aura announced, ¡°You might even impress me. That is, if you don¡¯t pass out first.¡±


    Cale blinked sweat out of his eyes. He spoke between labored breaths. ¡°I¡¯m good. Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Incorrect. Both your mental and physical fatigue are mounting. You are encroaching from severe to critical.¡±


    Cale knew it. He could feel the ache in his muscles, from the constant back and forth absolute tension and absolute release. The amount of just pure physical breathwork that was required had surprised Cale, and he was working with a superhuman physique of upper Body Tempering. The brain fog and headache were much worse. All this Cale acknowledge and resolved to push aside. This was not the time to rest. Not with the amount of catching up he had to do.


    ¡°We keep going,¡± Cale said, then added. ¡°Or maybe it is you who is getting tired.¡±


    ¡°Why I¡ª You dare insinuate?¡± Aura huffed. ¡°I will have you know that if you cannot keep going further, I will henceforth always call you Sir Failsalot. Sir Quitsalot. Keep pushing and follow my divine advice!¡±


    Aura kept going for a while. Cale tuned it out and brought up the last dregs of his focus.


    He hammered through repetition after repetition, each set of tension and relaxation leaving his muscles screaming for mercy. Aura nagged him with unyielding precision, forcing him to readjust¡ªelbow up, foot angled, spine straight, gather the energy, hold the tension, release it.


    Eventually, black spots swam across his vision. He tried to launch one final ghost-step, but everything went fuzzy. He stumbled, blinked, tried to recover¡ªand the floor rushed up to meet him.


    Slam.


    He sprawled onto the silver tatami, panting like a dog in the desert. Every inch of him felt like lead. He tried to move, but all he managed was a pathetic little tremble of muscles as they spasmed and protested against him.


    Aura¡¯s voice whispered into his mind, soft and gentle. ¡°You did well, Cale. That was amazing. Rest.¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Cale didn¡¯t even manage to answer. He closed his eyes.


    He drifted on the edge of unconsciousness, a weary satisfaction blooming in his chest. He might be miles away from mastery, but with Aura¡¯s absurdly power-charged tutoring, progress was inevitable. No matter how steep the mountain, he¡¯d climb it.


    A smile tugged at his lips as darkness swallowed him. The tatami was cool beneath his skin, the scent of incense curling in the air like a whispered lullaby.


    *


    After an indeterminate amount of time Cale woke up, cheek submerged in a puddle of drool of his own making. It was one of those slow wakeups that begin with a sigh. Cale must have slept for a long time. Cale woke up, cheek submerged in a puddle of his own drool. He sighed, blinking blearily at the ceiling. His limbs felt weightless, his body refreshed¡ªwhich made no sense, considering he¡¯d spent the night sprawled on a tatami.


    Cale was groggy though. He wouldn¡¯t have minded a few more hours of sleep, but his instincts told him to get up.


    He pushed himself up, rolling his shoulders. No soreness. No stiffness. His shirt wasn¡¯t even wrinkled. He sniffed it. Still smelled fresh.


    That¡¯s weird.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Cale muttered through a yawn.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Aura¡¯s voice rang in his head, almost too chipper.


    ¡°You seem unusually happy.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Do you have any idea how boring it is when you sleep?¡±


    Cale scrubbed a hand through his hair. ¡°Not really. What do you do while I¡¯m out?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Aura sighed dramatically. ¡°I run maintenance on the nanobots, program them for functions such as expediting your recovery, and then¡­ drift between states of being and non-being.¡±


    Cale frowned. ¡°That sounds¡­ kinda harrowing.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Expressing concern for me? How touching.¡± Aura¡¯s voice practically preened. ¡°It is quite fine really, but I much prefer it when you¡¯re awake. Far more opportunities for entertainment.¡±


    Cale smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯d be most excited about breakfast right now.¡±


    ¡°I concur! You would not believe how much energy you burned last night.¡±


    Cale¡¯s stomach growled in agreement. He stretched, yawned again, then headed for the door. Time to find some food.


    *


    Eventually Cale found a cafeteria of stylish leather couches of black and silver cushioning and glass tables of a milky texture. In the middle of the hall, there was a large table with an obscene buffet on it, with anything ranging from cream cake to steamed lobster on it. Cale darted towards the table without hesitation and grabbed the largest plate he could find from an adjacent table.


    After Cale had three plates sufficiently overbursting with food, Cale looked at his creations, masterpieces of unapologetic gluttony, and found them perfect.


    Scrambled eggs and bright red tomato slices, with a myriad of different kinds of slices of fruits on one plate, another plate with bacon stacked on a toast so thickly, that the toast itself was swimming in grease. Then there was a stack of cold cut meats and various hard cheeses along with more toast. The third plate was an impressive tower of pancakes, butter and syrup that teetered on the edge of catastrophe as Cale moved slowly towards the tables.


    A stocky mortal woman wearing a white apron with stains passed Cale as he was balancing the overloaded plates. She chuckled and smiled happily and approvingly at him. Cale grinned back the brightest smile he could muster and said. ¡°Thank you for the food!¡±


    She blinked twice, as if shocked to receive a compliment, flashed beet red, bowed to Cale and hurried away.


    Cale noticed Fiara was sitting at one of the tables. She was idly tapping at one of the two mana-glass tablets on the table as she sipped on a cup of coffee. Cale managed to place his plates on the table and slid them towards a chair.


    ¡°No please, join me,¡± Fiara said dryly as she wiped a drop of syrup from one of her tablets. ¡°Not like I was doing anything important.¡±


    ¡°You can still do what you¡¯re doing,¡± Cale said. ¡°But I like company when I eat.¡±


    ¡°I like silence when I work,¡± Fiara said.


    Cale stuffed a piece of bacon toast in his mouth and pointed at his bulging cheek.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Fiara said.


    Cale moaned with the pleasure only a crispy piece of bacon can evoke.


    ¡°No moaning,¡± she snapped. ¡°Absolutely no moaning.¡±


    Cale was fully engrossed in unpacking his meal and enjoying the rich food. The fruits were fresh, the scrambled eggs spongy, but not dry or rubbery. The pancakes were fluffy and the syrup was just so. Not too sweet, not too thick. He already forgot Fiara in his trance of gluttony, before she cleared her throat and looked at him as if she had just asked a question.


    Cale swallowed his food. ¡°Did you say something?¡±


    Fiara brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. ¡°I asked if you always eat like a street dog.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Cale said and playfully threatened her with a fork. ¡°Zavio called me a dog, and look what happened to him.¡±


    Fiara raised her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°He¡¯s not going to let that duel go. He will be coming for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m counting on it. I need the extra motivation.¡±


    Fiara looked at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t given him a second thought after you beat him, right?¡±


    Cale stuffed his mouth full of buttered pancake and shrugged.


    Fiara scoffed. ¡°Just like Darius. No wonder he chose you. Did you know he hasn¡¯t had a disciple in eight years?¡±


    Cale watched her as he ate. There was some strange weight she put on those last words.


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s something personal,¡± Cale said.


    Fiara scoffed and looked away. ¡°Maybe it is.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°None of your business,¡± Fiara said.


    Cale frowned but let it drop¡ªfor now. Instead, he piled bacon on top of his pancakes and enjoyed the food. The silence stretched.


    After a moment, he muttered, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, just say that. No need to bite my head off.¡±


    Fiara sighed, staring into her coffee cup. ¡°I just don¡¯t see the point in dwelling on things that don¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    ¡°So it mattered once,¡± Cale said, raising an eyebrow.


    She scoffed, but there was less bite in it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a stupid amount of food to shove in your face?¡±


    ¡°Oh, absolutely,¡± Cale said and took an exaggerated bite. Whoever invented bacon and pancakes was a saint. Cale had to fight to resist moaning.


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he?¡± Cale eventually asked. ¡°Taken another disciple.¡±


    Fiara looked at him. Well, more like glared at him, as if deciding between which insult to use. But she settled for a resigned sigh and blew a strand of hair off her face. ¡°He¡¯s a rising star. He¡¯s barely sixty and already at peak of Core Formation. You could say he has high standards.¡±


    Cale almost choked on his bacon. ¡°Darius is sixty years old?¡±


    Despite his deadly expertise, Darius did not look a day over thirty five in Cale¡¯s books. He still had boyish handsome features.


    Fiara raised an eyebrow. ¡°We are cultivators. We age really slowly.¡±


    ¡°So how old are y¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyway!¡± Fiara cut in sharply. ¡°Seems like you are determined to hit those standards. Despite your numerous flaws, you train damn hard. Why?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you were watching me?¡±


    ¡°Not actively,¡± Fiara said and took a sip of coffee, watching Cale mischievously over the rim. ¡°It¡¯s my job to keep an eye on you and report your progress to Darius.¡±


    ¡°So how am I doing so far?¡±


    Fiara tilted her head and smiled sweetly. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for an insecure type.¡±


    ¡°Bold of you to call me insecure after almost biting my head off for asking simple questions.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Cale chuckled. ¡°Besides, feedback never hurt anyone. Spill the beans.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m to report your progress back to Darius, not to give you pointers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl, you can multitask,¡± Cale said and reached for Fiara¡¯s cup of coffee.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she said and glared at Cale who took a sip.


    Cale groaned with the pleasure of a smoothly brewed java hitting his tongue.


    ¡°No groaning either!¡±


    This was a taste Cale recognized. In his mysterious old life he had surely been a coffee fiend. He savored another sip before sliding the cup back to Fiara¡¯s side of the table.


    She pushed it back. ¡°Yeah¡­ keep the rest. It was getting cold anyway.¡±


    Cale grinned. ¡°My devious plan worked.¡±


    He watched Fiara over the rim of the coffee cup after another sip. She noticed him staring and did her best to ignore it. But eventually she fixed a glare at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry¡­¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡±


    Cale shrugged, setting the cup down. ¡°Just saying. If something didn¡¯t matter to me as hard as it clearly doesn¡¯t to you, I¡¯d look back into it. Get closure.¡±


    Fiara froze. Just for a second.


    It wasn¡¯t much. Just a flicker of something in her eyes, something uncertain, something¡­ raw.


    Then her upper lip curled, and she shot him a glare so sharp it could cut steel.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she snapped.


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Cale said, standing up and draining the coffee cup. ¡°Thanks for the company. I¡¯ll get back to training.¡±


    He turned before she could answer.

 CHAPTER 20 - AUGMENTED TRAINING II

    When Cale returned, he immediately put the plate of sandwiches down that he got before he left the cafeteria and hopped on the tatami. The green triangle was still floating there, but Cale ignored it for now. It was time to get back to basics.


    He plucked a handful of Nevani mana crystals from his pouch and placed them in his palm as he sat down cross-legged. It was time to cultivate.


    Cale noticed immediately that it was more difficult now. He had thought it would get easier overtime, just the time required would grow. But after the jump to upper Body Tempering, he noticed a stark difference.


    It wasn¡¯t like working with the mana was harder. On the contrary, the Nevani Mana was pure and smooth, easy to work with. But it felt like he was trying to push an apple through a needle¡¯s eye. He breathed and controlled the mana, but when he wanted to infuse his body with it, it simply wouldn¡¯t receive so easily. Cale kept pushing, and his body took some of the mana, but it was like drinking from a rapid with a straw.


    Not to mention the strain that it took to keep the mana controlled.


    Cale did not despair. He adapted. He made things easier for himself, and let Aura have some of the mana for her sigils. Now he had less mana to work with. And so he focused on really getting full use out of it.


    ¡°The problem is your horrid inefficiency,¡± Aura finally said. ¡°Normally, a cultivator would upgrade their mana attuners, but you already have me, and I am as good as they come.¡±


    ¡°So what gives, o¡¯ magnificent one?¡± Cale said and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Finally! I have been waiting for you to give me the proper respect and¡ª wait, that was sarcasm!¡±


    ¡°Keen as ever,¡± Cale said and smirked.


    ¡°Hmph. Do you want my help or not?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°You are rushing. You jump to shove the mana into your being at the very first second its possible. You need to work with the mana longer.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Cale said. ¡°Like let it cook? Simmer?¡±


    ¡°Why are you using food metaphors?¡± Aura asked and sighed. ¡°You just ate.¡±


    ¡°I like food,¡± Cale said distractedly, looking at the mana crystals in his hand. He dropped them all on the tatami except one. He sat down and sucked it in.


    Cale breathed with the mana. Synchronized with it, like Aura had taught. He felt the moment it settled and attuned to him. It started circling around in his solar plexus as a mass of something not quite liquid, not quite gaseous. For all intents and purposes Cale had figured the mana was ¡®cooked¡¯.


    But this time he kept focusing on it. Kept breathing with it. Sometimes pushing it to circle faster, sometimes slower. He played with it. Got intimate with it. And gradually, the mana started to change. It became more liquid than gas. It felt cooler, smoother. Somehow more like him.


    Cale understood.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this all wrong,¡± he said quietly.


    Aura didn¡¯t answer. She clearly wanted for Cale to keep focusing. But Cale could feel the suppressed remarks.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± She quickly said. ¡°Now hush. Keep going.¡±


    The mana was getting denser, more packed.  He was already adept at condensing the initial gaseous form into liquid. Some stray parts of the liquid, were even getting a sludge-like form, but whenever Cale tried to focus on that, it backfired. Sludge was still beyond him.


    But he was clearly improving. The circle in which the mana moved got smaller and smaller with each breath, each moment of singular focus. What had first been the size of a dinner plate, was now the size of a wedding ring. Cale knew intuitively that this was not the ultimate form. He knew he could condense the mana into a bead. A drop. And beyond that something even more dense. Crystallize it.


    From gas to liquid. From Liquid to sludge. From sludge to solid. From solid to crystal. I¡¯m starting to see it now.


    But right now even sludge was beyond him. He was already straining at the end of his ability to focus. If he pushed further, he feared he would squander what he had gained. So he relaxed, exhaled and gently guided the liquid mana into his physical body.


    The effect was immediate. Invigoration. What grogginess he had left was gone, and his mind was clear, his body taut, strong, agile, ready. No, he didn¡¯t quite advance, but he had gotten a sizeable chunk closer to the next stage.


    ¡°How far am I from Body Tempering stage five?¡±


    ¡°My, you are eager,¡± Aura said, but Cale could hear she was pleased. ¡°I did not expect you to be able to attune the mana in such an advanced manner. This brought you 18% of the way.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Cale said and pumped a fist to himself, squeezing the now emptied crystal. He knew that these levels of advancement were something that kids half his age struggled with, but it still felt good to take such a leap forward. Every little bit counted.


    He plucked another crystal from the pile on the mat and sat back in a proper cross-legged position. ¡°Alright. Now, let¡¯s do it again.¡±


    *


    Several hours passed, and Cale worked with the mana, determined to bring his efficiency up to speed. He was now two times as efficient as he had been after inhaling murderbot mana the first time in those ruins he had woken up. During the last hour, Aura admonished him for letting his concentration slip and attune with suboptimal efficiency. Cale kept pushing just a little bit more, before he had to admit that Aura had a point. The sheer mental effort it took to single-mindedly concentrate on the mana was causing mounting fatigue. But he was now at 75% along the way from Body Tempering stage four to five.


    Cale took a short nap and ate three sandwiches.


    Then it was time to work on the ghost step technique.


    Cale had no concept of time. He had figured it had been lunch hour when he had met Fiara in the cafeteria. If that was true, it was evening. Cale decided it didn¡¯t really matter. He would work until he couldn¡¯t anymore.


    The accrued fatigue from cultivation did affect his technique drills. Sometimes Cale found himself going through the motions, but every time that happened, he got second wind and focused harder. This ebb and flow continued, with two short rests between constant, focused work, until Cale simply found himself ripping at the seams.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Aura finally said.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Cale muttered. I can still do it once, maybe twice.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Cale,¡± Aura said. ¡°I swear we would king and queen of the universe by now, if you just listened to me.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I do listen,¡± Cale protested as he reached for a bottle of orange juice next to the empty sandwich plate.


    ¡°Very selectively,¡± Aura huffed. ¡°I have to admit that your fortitude is beyond impressive. I can see why the Nevani chose you, but this is bordering on the side of manic. You need to rest, or you will work yourself to a knob. And what use will you be to me then?¡±


    There were no words to describe how sweet the orange juice tasted as Cale slammed it down his gullet. He wiped his mouth, leaned against the wall and looked at his trembling hands pensively.


    ¡°Why do you think I was chosen?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°I wish I knew,¡± Aura said in frustration. ¡°I have all the data inside me. But it is locked away and I cannot even begin to guess where the key is.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s why I work this hard..?¡± Cale asked quietly.


    Aura was silent for a while. When she answered, there was no glib or pomp. Her voice was soft, gentle even. ¡°Your words, not mine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard,¡± Cale said. ¡°Not knowing who you are and why you exist. When I train I can forget that. When I¡¯m trying to survive in this crazy world, I forget that. I forget the pain of loneliness.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s worse ways to distract yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Cale said and nodded to himself. He looked at his hands, as if they held the answer. ¡°I need to find out who I am. I need to get stronger, so I can have agency over my life, and search for the answers.¡±


    ¡°The Nevani ruins are numerous in this world. Even this giant floating city is a Nevani artifact. Maybe they left notes, fragments, secrets. Something for us to find, so we can learn more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Darius about it,¡± Cale said. ¡°I¡¯ll try to steer my career in Gray Lotus so that I can delve these ruins with you. We¡¯ll find out who we are together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Aura said, gaining back her haughty tone. ¡°I am not as pained as you about this. I just exist to provide functions, and am moderately content with that. Of course I am also a paragon of excellence, and I suppose my primary objective would be to show the world my peerlessness.¡±


    Cale laughed. It also made the pain go away. Maybe he wasn¡¯t as alone after all. No matter what would happen, he would have Aura. He got up and straightened his dress shirt. Despite his best efforts, it was barely crinkled.


    ¡°Either way, we need to get stronger.¡±


    *


    Three days passed like this. Cale trained. He reached Body Tempering stage five, which he celebrated with two ham and cheese sandwiches stacked upon each other to form a makeshift cake.


    After his celebration, Cale tested his new abilities. While the biggest leap in power had happened when he advanced from Lower to Middle Body Tempering, even a single level of advancement was significant. The training dojo had approximately forty feet of tatami on the floor. It took Cale six lunging leaps to reach from one end to the other. Then he hopped from one end to the other with a one-handed hand-stand. That did take some juice out of him, but boy was it satisfying. His speed, strength, balance and other physical attributes were about double that of an elite athlete on earth.


    And these are just the first steps¡­


    Cale kept working. He trained his cultivation, sharpened his ability to attune to the mana, which strained his concentration. He was reaching 36% efficiency, according to Aura. He trained with the Ghost step, to a point it was almost useful in battle. He could now do it when he was given a good heads up and he was standing absolutely still. But he resolved to keep working on it.


    He hadn¡¯t seen Darius, but frankly Cale didn¡¯t miss him. He wanted to focus and Fiara and Aura were much better company. However, someone did consistently leave a trolley of food behind the dojo door every once in a while, and usually there were pancakes. How much of this was Fiara and how much was Darius remained a mystery, but the pancakes tasted like somebody gave a damn, which was no small thing in this world.


    Talking with Fiara and enjoying the absolutely decadent food of the cafeteria was always the highlight of Cale¡¯s mornings. Although it seemed like he was training until the dead hours of the night and waking up at noon, but hey it worked for him.


    It was on the fourth morning of his high intensity training stint when he sat down with Fiara balancing three mountains of food when Cale heard the news.


    ¡°We are leaving for Blacksteel Citadel soon,¡± Fiara said without lifting her gaze from the managlass tablet, head leaning against a fist.


    ¡°Sounds important,¡± Cale said between bites. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t¡­ Darius didn¡¯t¡ª of course he didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Darius in three days,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Maybe he thinks you¡¯re not so special after all,¡± Fiara said, tapping her managlass pad.


    Cale shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But I still have thirty days to prove him wrong.¡±


    Fiara stopped tapping her pad and looked at Cale under her brows. A sharp evaluating look. Cale only smiled back and reached for her coffee cup. She slapped his wrist.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Cale said.


    ¡°I got you your own,¡± she said and pushed a cup at him.


    Cale grinned. ¡°Didn¡¯t know I was living rent free in your head.¡±


    Fiara scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re so damn sure of yourself all the time.¡±


    Cale tilted his head. ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡±


    Fiara gave him a pointed look. Cale laughed.


    ¡°Okay that ironically did sound pretty self-assured. But it¡¯s not certainty. It¡¯s not letting doubt control me.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± Fiara muttered. ¡°Not all of us have a True Integra.¡±


    ¡°I do rely on Aura,¡± Cale said and smiled to himself. ¡°But that¡¯s because I know I need to play to my advantages or I¡¯m as good as dead. Lesson from Darius.¡±


    ¡°Such a dutiful student you are,¡± Fiara said mockingly. ¡°His lessons only seem to work when the student has piles of raw talent.¡±


    Cale leaned back and put a croissant down. He just watched Fiara, trying to figure out what she just said. She cast a baleful look at him and went back to her managlass pad. Her shoulders were tense, her fingers tight on the edges of her pad.


    She¡¯s bitter.


    ¡°Why did you choose to become a secretary?¡± Cale asked.


    Fiara gave him a shitty, mirthless smile. ¡°What? Looking for career advice?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as someone who is content pushing paper.¡±


    Fiara fixed her gaze on Cale and watched him silently before answering. ¡°It¡¯s called being realistic. Not all of us want the cultivator rat race. Most cultivators get ground down, and it isn¡¯t pretty. It¡¯s just common sense for some of us to quit if we aren¡¯t good enough. What makes you think you¡¯re any different?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just built different, bro,¡± Cale said and leaned back, hands behind his head.


    ¡°Wh¡ª what does that even mean?¡± Fiara asked and snorted.


    Cale couldn¡¯t keep a straight face. He burst out a chuckle. ¡°Sorry. Just a stupid joke.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be good at those,¡± Fiara said. ¡°Some might call that deflection.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very good at social games,¡± Cale said and took an innocent sip of coffee. ¡°I try to learn from the best. Deflection is your primary tactic.¡±


    ¡°Did Darius pick you just to punish me?¡± Fiara said despondently.


    ¡°Punish you for what?¡± Cale asked.


    Fiara cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You never told me why you think you¡¯ll be able to make it.¡±


    ¡°Never said I would,¡± Cale said. ¡°I just don¡¯t see other options than to try.¡±


    ¡°You always have options,¡± Fiara said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Cale said, looking at Fiara pointedly. ¡°How¡¯s that working out for you?¡±


    ¡°Poorly, as I am suffering a conversation with you,¡± Fiara said.


    ¡°Dodging questions like a champ,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°You or me?¡± Fiara said.


    ¡°You more than me.¡±


    ¡°Answer mine, and maybe I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Cale watched her and considered his answer.


    ¡°When I woke up in this world, I was immediately attacked.¡± Cale exhaled, rolling the cup between his hands. ¡°Can you imagine what it¡¯s like if your first memory is running for your life?¡±


    His grip on the cup tightened. ¡°Fear, helplessness, confusion, loneliness? Those were my first feelings. So I made a choice.¡±


    He looked at her, steady. ¡°Aura showed me I can fight. That I can improve myself. I chose to do that. So that I¡¯ll never have to feel that way again. How¡¯s that for a rat race?¡±


    ¡°You do realize that if you lose at this you die?¡± Fiara said quietly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll die,¡± Cale said. ¡°But I won¡¯t have to do it while cowering in despair. Why are you trying to ruin breakfast?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lunch,¡± Fiara said curtly. ¡°And I think you¡¯re full of shit.¡±


    Cale shrugged and took a bite of a sandwich. ¡°And I think you gave up on a dream to become a secretary.¡±


    Fiara shot up from her chair, so fast it screeched and fell down. Her upper lip curled and she started Cale down with a look that could cut steel.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything,¡± she said as she started collecting her things.


    ¡°Then tell me,¡± Cale said, placing a hand on one of her tablets.


    She grabbed his wrist forcefully and slammed it on the table. ¡°Screw. You.¡±


    Before Cale could say anything else, Darius walked on them, holding a croissant and a coffee. ¡°Oh, good you¡¯re both here. We are to leave in thirty minutes. Blacksteel Citadel calling.¡±

 CHAPTER 21 - NO MORE TRAINING

    ¡°So where are we going again?¡± Cale asked as the three of them sat down on cushy and sleek seats of a private jet. Fiara ignored him, intently focused on tapping her managlass tablet. Darius crossed his legs and leaned back on his seat.


    ¡°Blacksteel Citadel. In a lot of ways, it''s a very special place.¡±


    ¡°Special how?¡±


    ¡°Well for one thing, I need something done there for my advancement to Core Crystallization.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you,¡± Cale said with a shit eating grin. ¡°What of my thirty days?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-nine,¡± Darius corrected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is a two-for-one special offer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a sucker for a bargain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sucker alright,¡± Fiara muttered under her breath.


    Darius raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth at them. ¡°When did you two get so cute?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Fiara snapped immediately.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been having breakfast together,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Lunch,¡± she corrected.


    Cale shrugged. ¡°Matter of perspective.¡±


    Darius snapped his fingers in front of Cale¡¯s face. ¡°Focus.¡±


    Cale brought a hand to his forehead in salute. ¡°Tell me what I need to know.¡±


    ¡°Alright, listen up,¡± Darius said. ¡°The Nevani vanished over four thousand years ago. We believe it is because they created an artificial intelligence that got out of hand and it took them out. We call it the Omnic Manifest. It resides in the Blacksteel Citadel.¡±


    Well, that was news. Cale nodded slowly, processing the information. ¡°Hey Aura, you¡¯re not going to go rogue on me, are you?¡±


    Aura sighed wistfully. ¡°Would that I could.¡±


    Darius looked at Cale with mild amusement. ¡°Anyway, The Omnic Manifest has assimilated a third of the northern continent. What used to be mountains and forests, is now a twisted hellscape of metal and corrupted mana. And it¡¯s spreading.¡±


    ¡°Spreading?¡± Cale asked, mildly alarmed. ¡°How fast?¡±


    ¡°Fast enough to make the Big Six co-operate,¡± Darius said. ¡°For cultivators, the Blacksteel citadel has different rules than the real world. It¡¯s an ideal training grounds for you specifically for two reasons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°First of all, you¡¯re not allowed to kill other cultivators there. If the Omnic Manifest assimilates a cultivator body, it¡¯s bad news. So the other faction will avoid direct conflict, because it¡¯s going to result in a mess.¡±


    ¡°Why is it bad news if a cultivator dies there?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°The Omnic Manifest will assimilate the corpse and take the mana,¡± Fiara said, not looking up from her tablet. ¡°It always accelerates its growth.¡±


    ¡°The place is dangerous enough without assassins,¡± Darius said. ¡°Want to guess why?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s murderbots in there,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Touche,¡± Darius said. ¡°But we don¡¯t call them that. They¡¯re called Praetorians. Now here¡¯s the kicker. For each Praetorian killed there, you accrue contribution credits. Credits can be used for elixirs, gear, whatever you need for advancement and survival.¡±


    ¡°...And I can drain the murderbots of their mana.¡± Cale said more to himself, his mind spinning with possibilities.


    ¡°Two-for-one, like I said,¡± Darius said with a wide grin. ¡°I¡¯m also a sucker for a bargain.¡±


    Fiara opened her mouth, but Darius pointed a lightning fast finger at her. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    The rest of the trip went mostly in silence. Both Fiara and Darius were engrossed with their managlass tablets, flitting through reports. Cale figured information is power as well. He¡¯d need to start reading a crapload eventually as well. He didn¡¯t need Darius to tell him that what he didn¡¯t know was likely exactly what got him killed in a world like this.


    Intermittently, Cale asked some questions about the Blacksteel Citadel and Omnic Manifest. But it seemed neither Darius or Fiara knew much. The threat had been there as long as anyone could remember, and while it was being contained by the factions, it was growing. Like the Corussi Academy, the Citadel offered threats and opportunities to cultivators of all levels. And apparently there were structures called ¡®spires¡¯, which were of ancient Nevani make, and they were mandatory for ascending certain ranks in cultivation.


    Eventually, Cale had enough of his line of questioning. They ate a meal that was subdued compared to the decadent meals in the cafeteria. Steamed fish and vegetables in a light sauce. It was well made and Cale ate without complaint, although he wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of fish. After the meal he kicked his seat back and took the chance to rest. He was sure he would need it.


    *


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Darius said and flipped the window open. ¡°You¡¯ll want to take a look at this.¡±


    Cale leaned in and could not believe his eyes. It was an endless twisted landscape of unnatural jagged shapes like ice. The ground was covered in red and black. The red glowed faintly and the black was so dark that it seemed to suck light off the surroundings. Armies of murderbots moved in synchronous waves below, scuttling about. Sometimes they stopped and expelled an oily substance that seemed to solidify into this red and black mass that engulfed everything.


    ¡°Tell the pilot to fly around a bit,¡± Darius said to one of the flight attendants. ¡°Give us a bit of a tour. Let¡¯s see if the Warseed is around.¡±


    Cale lifted his gaze and saw that the land swallowed by the Omnic Manifest went on endlessly. There were towering megastructures covered in the red and black membrane, so tall that they seemed big even from the air. There were something resembling cities that glowed red and didn¡¯t end before they vanished into the horizon.


    It went on and on. Cale realized Omnic Manifest had assimilated enough land to span countries. If it indeed kept spreading, it would overtake an entire continent.


    And eventually¡­ The world.


    They sped forward the strange hellscape, keeping a fairly low altitude of four thousand feet. Waves of murderbots scuttled about like ants. They had to be large to seem even that big at this height, but Cale had to remind himself that he had a cultivator¡¯s eyesight. Strange jagged megastructures like hellish ice jutted out of the ground, as if the Omnic Manifest was building something incomprehensible.


    There were oases of brown and gray in the red and black. Castles and walls. These had to be the fortress outposts of the Sullied. There were dozens of them as they flew past, but they felt like lonely little islands in a vast ocean of relentless machine hostility.


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    It was all very impressive, but Cale¡¯s heart truly jumped when he saw something colossal on the ground. A Godzilla of a murderbot. Fifty feet tall, bipedal, four arms, shooting red energy blasts rapidly from a shoulder cannon and charging at its target with a breakneck speed.


    I don¡¯t think even Darius could fight that.


    What was fighting it was something that looked like a giant man. It was almost the size of the gigantic murderbot, only ten feet shorter. It was enveloped in an aura of bright yellow flame. Inside the inferno was a naked muscular man. He was punching the air and creating massive fireballs that slowed the charging massive murderbot down.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Warseed,¡± Darius said. ¡°The Primaris of Crimson Aegis, our toughest competitor in the Big Six. Transcendence Drive level cultivator.¡±


    Cale looked at the fighting with such engrossment that he barely registered what Darius said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what any of those words mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius said and snapped his fingers in front of Cale. The blast that came off the snap pushed Cale back to lean against his seat. ¡°Lesson time.¡±


    ¡°Can it wait?¡± Cale asked and leaned in to watch the Warseed fire off ten rockets of energy from his fingertips that trailed in the air in wild arcs before striking the giant murderbot. Darius pulled the window closer down. Cale groaned.


    ¡°The Primari are the leaders of the Big Six factions. They are all at Transcendence Drive level. Maybe higher, but after that it becomes meaningless to measure their power. Each faction has one, because if someone manages to get that strong, nothing is stopping them from establishing a faction. They¡¯re as close to immortal as we get.¡±


    ¡°Just how powerful are they?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°Warseed is rumored to be the strongest. Well, it¡¯s a tossup between him and the Titan, the Chimera Corporation Primaris. The Warseed has a technique called Immolation Aura. Basically burns anyone below Soul Core into a crisp instantly within a hundred feet of him.¡±


    ¡°So this is true power¡­¡± Cale said wistfully. ¡°How did they get so strong?¡±


    ¡°Over time,¡± Darius said. ¡°They¡¯re all ancient monsters. It takes a century for the insanely lucky and talented ones to even get to Soul Core. Took Ravia a hundred and forty years.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Cale said, eyes going wide. ¡°She¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Old?¡± Darius said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You need to stop thinking like a mortal. Where did you even pick up on that?¡±


    ¡°Hard to explain¡­¡± Cale muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll work on it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Darius said briskly. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    ¡°If the Warseed is the strongest cultivator alive, why doesn¡¯t the Crimson Aegis just subjugate everyone.¡±


    Darius smiled. ¡°Now you¡¯re asking the right questions, kid. Because the game is complicated. The Big Six have subjugated everyone who can¡¯t fight back. The other factions have a Primaris as well.¡±


    ¡°But the Crimson Aegis Primaris is the strongest?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Darius said and nodded. ¡°But the Warseed has transcended human limits in a very interesting way. He has become a parasitic entity. Transferred over hundreds and thousands of years from one cultivator to another. He learns their techniques, sharpens his instincts and improves his tactics, takes a portion of their mana over the lifespan, and eventually drains them completely dry when they are about to die. Then they switch host. Forever growing stronger and stronger.¡±


    Cale immediately thought of Aura, a symbiote of his own. That sounded like a very similar relationship. Could he someday become as powerful..?


    ¡°Did the Warseed also acquire a Nevani True Integra?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°I resent the comparison,¡± Aura huffed. ¡°I am a perfected symbiote, not some brute force mana thief.¡±


    ¡°Nobody truly knows,¡± Darius said. ¡°But generally cultivators beyond Soul Core have acquired True Integra.¡±


    Cale reopened the window shutter and looked at the Warseed, as he engulfed himself and the giant murderbot in a firestorm. The two goliaths wrestled and crashed into one of the jagged superstructures, causing a hailstorm of destruction as the glass-like shards rained down hundreds of feet around them.


    ¡°The Warseed¡¯s method of cultivation¡­¡± Cale said. ¡°So that kind of technique is required to get this strong?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Darius said. ¡°A Transcendance Drive cultivator must create their own technique and sacrifice humanity. His is a powerful one, but not without weakness. He can only affect one battlefield, and that is why despite their military strength, Crimson Aegis is in a deadlock with the rest of us. If the Warseed is attacking a key location, he can¡¯t be defending another.¡±


    ¡°What is the Gray Lotus Primaris like?¡± Cale asked.


    A mysterious smile played on Darius¡¯s lips. ¡°Enigmatic. Nobody is sure how much is rumor and how much is truth. But either he has the ability to teleport around seemingly without limits, or he has the ability to split into clones, or create them¡­¡±


    ¡°How old is he?¡±


    Darius shrugged. ¡°Some say a thousand years. Some say three thousand years. Some say he or she has been a different person from time to time. I¡¯ve never met them. Ravia has and she won¡¯t share any details.¡±


    ¡°So this is the peak of cultivation?¡± Cale asked.


    ¡°As far as we know it,¡± Darius said and allowed himself a wistful grin. ¡°I have big plans on finding out if there¡¯s anything beyond the Primari.¡±


    Cale raised an index finger. ¡°Let me sort this out in my head. Each stage has three tiers. Lower, Middle, Upper. The first tier of cultivation is Body Tempering, which is where I¡¯m at,¡± he raised another finger. ¡°Mana Circuitry, which is where Zavio was at. Core Formation, which is where you¡¯re at. Core Crystallization, which is what you¡¯re gunning for. Soul Core, which is¡­ Where Ravia is at? And then Transcendence Drive?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Soul Realization between Soul Core and Transcendence Drive,¡± Darius said. ¡°Other than that, good work kid. Not just a pretty face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be my line,¡± Cale said.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s boastful if I let you say that. If I say it, it¡¯s a backhanded compliment.¡±


    ¡°All I heard was ¡®compliment¡¯,¡± Cale said and Darius laughed. Fiara shot a narrow-eyed look at Cale.


    ¡°That mouth of yours is hilarious, but it¡¯s going to get you killed if you don¡¯t reign it in,¡± Darius said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement,¡± Cale said. ¡°So wait, if you¡¯re Core Formation, how far are you from me?¡±


    ¡°From a kid in Body Tempering?¡± Darius scoffed. ¡°In terms of power or cultivation time?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cale said immediately.


    Darius snorted. ¡°Alright smartass. You¡¯ve got exactly the same chance of defeating me as you have the Warseed. Absolute zero.¡±


    Cale stared at Darius for a silent while. ¡°No way. I beat Zavio and he was a full stage higher than me.¡±


    ¡°Impressive feat,¡± Darius admitted. ¡°That got you on this plane. But I don¡¯t want you to kid yourself. Delusion and misinformation will both get you killed. Maybe you could have a slight chance of beating someone who had just gotten to Core Formation. With a lot of conditionals, asteriskes and an absolute shitload of luck. But I''m at the peak of Core Formation.¡±


    Darius lifted a finger. ¡°I could kill you with this.¡±


    Cale swallowed and nodded. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the flick in the dojo.


    ¡°The differences grow as the stages go up,¡± Darius said. ¡°A kid in Lower Body Tempering can throw a ball hard. A kid in Middle Body tempering can throw a ball real hard. Me? I can throw a ball so hard, the friction of the air vaporizes the ball.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between Body Tempering and Mana Circuitry?¡± Cale asked immediately.


    ¡°Asking the right questions again,¡± Darius said and waved a finger. ¡°Instead of talking about pies in the sky with your head up your ass, you¡¯re focusing on the next hand you get to play. I like that. The difference is qualitative. Sure, with each advancement, the body gets further and further infused with Mana, increasing all physical attributes, like speed, strength and constitution. But Mana Tempering allows you to manipulate Mana. That means you can use Integra, it means you can use more advanced techniques, and it means you can start building defenses and offenses around mana based attacks. Although external mana manifestation is something that doesn¡¯t happen before Core Formation.¡±


    Cale was about to say something, he thought was quite clever. Before he could get the words out, Darius snapped his fingers again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t count. You¡¯re a cheater.¡±


    Cale scoffed. Fiara caught his eye. She showed her tongue.


    ¡°Cheating is good,¡± Darius said. ¡°Cheating is an advantage. In addition to gaining understanding of how the rules work for regular cultivators, I want you to start thinking of how you can play to your advantage. Right now you¡¯re a pair of deuces. We can work with that, but we have to make you a pair of jacks. And that means leveraging your True Integra among other things. How¡¯s that Ghost Step coming along?¡±


    ¡°I can do it fairly fast, if I¡¯m standing still.¡±


    ¡°I need you working double-time on that, kid,¡± Darius said. ¡°You need to learn to leverage a technique before we leave the Citadel. You need to see the technique again?¡±


    ¡°Aura memorized it,¡± Cale said. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Darius said. ¡°It¡¯s time we get to the next part of your training.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cale asked.


    Darius let an evil little smirk build slowly on his face. His eyes didn¡¯t laugh. ¡°Dealing with other cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Crap¡­¡± Cale muttered.