An eruption of rock and soil blasted skyward as the barrier surrounding Luna and me shattered under the force of the impact. A surge of frost exploded outward from my body only to be instantly melted by a rolling wave of heat, so intense it wilted what little plant life had survived the initial blast.

Above, the sky cracked open, sunlight pouring through like a rescue. After those disorienting seconds trapped beneath the earth, its warmth was a relief.

“Griffith?” I called out, voice loud and unsteady. “You’re alive, right?”

I am too, in case you're concerned, Luna grumbled. Her petals and leaves darkened to a mild shade of red. Just enough to show irritation, but not quite anger.

I protected you, I offered, trying to sound sincere.

Thanks, she replied, the word laced with floral sarcasm. I’m going back to training. Has Wyrem started talking again?

I shifted my focus inward, scanning my Inner Realm. Wyrem, the strange translucent worm embedded within me, was still noticeably larger than before, like a creature content after a feast.

Umm… he seems full, at least, I replied. Just call out for him if you need him.

I finished the thought as I crawled up from the hole, dirt sliding from my shoulders. “Sir?” I called more gently. “I think I’m done with the training. Let’s stop here.”

There was a pause, my head barely clearing the edge of the pit as I scanned the clearing until his voice drifted from somewhere in the trees.

“You sure? You could keep practicing… whatever that was.” His tone was earnest. He clearly wanted to help, but honestly, I was done.

Dragging myself the rest of the way out, I dusted off my clothes. “No. But we can talk about it!” I shouted, eyes still alert, wary of his position. The clearing bore the aftermath: chunks of compacted earth scattered everywhere, the ground etched with smooth, glossy streak in evidence of intense heat and friction.

A rustling above pulled my gaze up. Griffith dropped from a tree branch, landing lightly.

Strong tree branch...

“Sorry I got so serious,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been testing my own new abilities too…”

I smirked, letting out a tired chuckle. “And here I thought you were trying to teach me something. Good to know you’re not just a scholar.”

It was oddly comforting knowing that even Griffith, our stern guide, still chased personal growth through battle. It made him feel less like a teacher and more like a peer.

“Knowing yourself is important,” he said, shaking his head with a soft laugh. “That being said… What happened out there? That explosion was different. Stronger than anything you’ve shown before. And it didn’t look like you had to… well, blow yourself up.”

I paused, considering how to explain it. “When you were killing me—”

“Giving you a little pressure,” he interjected smoothly, raising a hand to correct me.

“Sure. When you were giving me a little pressure,” I said, continuing, “something shifted in my energy flow. The Fire Force… slowed down or changed somehow. And then that happened.”

His brow lifted slightly, still intrigued. “So what? It dulled?”

We began walking back toward the pillar, our footsteps quiet in the dirt. “More like… it balanced out.”

He grumbled under his breath, no real words forming, just thought-heavy noise. Then, after a few seconds: “Well, I can’t exactly build you a rock coffin every time you go into battle. There’s got to be another way to trigger it, right?”

By the time we returned, Thea, her slime, and Elric were still resting in their usual spots. I sat beside them again, back to the same place as before, letting out a long exhale.

“So,” I muttered, “I need to find a way to compress my channels without—”

Then it hit me.

An idea sparked to life, sharp and sudden. Griffith must have seen the glint in my eyes, because he leaned in immediately.

“What is it?” he asked. “You’ve thought of a way to do it consistently?”

“I—I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “Maybe. But it could be… dangerous. Really dangerous.”

He waited, silent but steady.

So I kept going, ready to explain the whole plan.

“My Voidseed—its ability generates a kind of pressure around me. It slows me down… and anything else that comes near its beacon.” I paused, letting the words sink in, watching Griffith’s face closely. “It might be able to recreate that same sensation. The squeezing. On me.”

It was familiar. I’d only used the Voidseed outside of cultivation once when I first obtained it and met Marcus, but even back then, the sensation had been eerily similar. Now though, its presence was much heavier.

Griffith’s eyes narrowed, and his tone dropped into something more serious. “We hardly even understand how creatures react to that thing. Some go feral. Others…” He tilted his head subtly toward the legged serpent nearby which was still silent and watchful.

Wait... Those legs, are they… longer than before?

“They don’t. They just want the benefits you offer.”

I already knew what he meant. I’d heard enough from Wyrem to understand the danger. The Voidseed. The Dragon Veins. Anything that could draw in and compress energy, anything with that kind of gravitational allure was valuable in ways that defied logic. Power beyond measure.

“Who knows how people in the competition would react,” I muttered, the thought landing heavy.

Griffith nodded grimly. “Try it here first. If it works, then fine, but only in emergencies.”

I nodded in return, and he turned away, resuming his place a short distance behind us and falling into quiet meditation.

Wyrem?

Goodness,

he groaned, his tone laced with theatrical annoyance. Can’t either of you let me eat in peace? At least you’re feeding me such a delicious bounty. And by the way, when are you planning to cook up another delectable mixture?

I didn’t dignify that with a response.

Instead, I asked something that had been lingering for a while.

The world you came from… You lost your body when you attached to me. But if you’re still here, then that place must’ve been real, right?

There was a pause. A long one. He curled into a pretzel of thought, probably trying to make his answer sound wise and mysterious.

Well… real enough for me to be born and live in it, he said finally. But the world is wide. You know that already. This one is under the control of that woman. Other worlds governed by different individuals. Who’s to say that the celestial bodies they rule over exist under the same realm as mine?

That… was a mind bend. Other planets was one thing. But what he was suggesting now? Entire realms governed by separate ruling forces? I guess, considering the power of some creatures I've seen, it wasn't so out there.

You’re serious?

About what? he replied, confused.

What you just said. Obviously, I snapped, the headache already forming.

Another pause. Oh. I mean… maybe. It's just a guess. Could’ve been an illusion. To you, anyway. Maybe that freaky old monster in your trial created it. Maybe not. Who knows?

This again, I grumbled. You could’ve just started with, “it’s a random guess.”

He shuddered, feigning offense. And how would that sound? Have some style, will you? You’re a teacher, so you should appreciate the craft. Honestly, go visit that little girl again. You’re going to lose your touch at this rate.

I started ignoring him immediately. Given how much of my Internal Force he’d been snacking on lately, I doubted he minded the silence.

Closing my eyes, I focused inward, letting my awareness sink into my Internal Realm, then deeper into the void of my Internal Space. I really regretted letting Elric talk us out of giving it a better name.

Once again, I was mostly immobile. Just floating, but at least now I could blink. Even shift my vision side to side.

It felt like some part of me was forming. A piece of my body, building itself from the inside out. Unfortunately, that piece still seemed to consist of nothing but disembodied, resplendent eyeballs hovering in endless black.

But the object I came looking for was there. Just as I’d hoped.

A floating crimson orb, pulsing with tiny internal explosions. Each pop sent out flickers of volatile energy like unstable fireworks trapped in a glass sphere.

“So this one exploded inside,” I murmured to myself, studying its rhythm. “The last one was made of ice…”

And that’s when I noticed... I could speak here. Easily.

Floating eyes and a mouth.

Cool.

Must look disgusting though.

Still, this had to be why I defaulted—as Griffith put it—to my elemental attributes rather than their base forms, but there had to be something more, didn’t there?

Others had pushed beyond the basic elements. Elric and Lyra, for example, wielded healing and support magic, drawing forth a luminous white energy when they channeled their abilities. It wasn’t just water, fire, air, or earth—it was something else entirely. And yet, it was powerful enough to affect the world around them.

Even if the system processed their energy differently, or if it drew from an entirely separate source, it worked. It existed.

Then there was the Sleepy Hungry Lightning Princess Grandmaster. She could cloak her entire body in living lightning. Wrap herself in it like a blanket.

So what were these orbs of mine? Just shortcuts to a higher version of elemental power?

If that were the case, I wouldn’t exactly complain. But still… those beasts from the vision that gave me this path. They didn’t look like shortcuts or gift-givers. They were forces of nature. Monolithic in size and incomprehensible in power.

They were gods in motion.

A cosmic serpent, a dragon with absolute command over Water Force, gliding through space and guiding life across galaxies.

A lion of flame, forged entirely from Fire Force, detonating a singularity to ignite existence itself.

That kind of power… it couldn’t be for convenience. There had to be something more that I didn't understand. Then again... Who's to say these orbs meant anything to them? But then again—again—Why me?

Out of the corner of my eye, one of the black tendrils twitched like it was asking permission.

I sighed and gave a small, symbolic shake of my head. “Whatever. Nothing I can do about it right now anyway.”

I turned my gaze to the shivering tendril. “Do you… want to grab that thing?” There wasn’t anything to point at physically, but the message was clear. The only object it hadn’t already absorbed was the Fire Orb.

The tentacle twitched again in confirmation.

I focused, drawing in energy from beyond. It used to feel nearly impossible, but now, the flow came smoother. Internal Force surged from the outside down the root network, pulsing through the primary stalk until it formed another bud, rising slowly upward.

Just like before, the Fire Orb responded.

It drifted from its position, bounced gently against an invisible barrier and then, with a silent crack, shattered through. It floated forward, cautiously at first, then allowed the tendril to wrap itself around it, curling with a kind of patience.

It was done.

One orb now spewed cold vapor, steady and serene.  One pulsed with unpredictable, unstable fire, constantly threatening detonation. And within it all, a disembodied soul guiding them.

All of it feeding this strange egg inside me.

All of it somehow, for some reason, working together to help me.

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