I exited the space with ease, letting the orbs and tentacle continue feeding that strange object their respective power. The Voidseed wasn’t quite ready, still dormant, but I kept absorbing energy anyway. And, yeah, it was excruciatingly slow.

Auto-purification had kicked in already, smoothing some edges, but not by much. At the rate things were going, it felt like it would take a week just to make the same progress I used to hit in days. And I figured that as I added another element, and then the final one, my cultivation would crawl to such a sluggish pace that only our Harmonic Foundation would keep it bearable.

Eventually, I felt the Voidseed shift, so I funneled more energy into it, feeding it until it was full. The difference was immediate. My body filled faster, every internal function operating with heightened speed.

The effect from my Voidseed wasn’t quite as dramatic as when Griffith acted on me, but it was noticeable. The Water Force was catching up. It hadn’t overtaken Fire, not yet, but it was no longer just following. Almost like it was competing. The two were approaching balance.

At one point, I’d called out to Luna to spin a core for me, but she declined, busy with her own training. I understood and had no issues with it, so instead, I turned to the tentacle coiled around my two elemental cores.

Can you spin them? I asked. Just until there’s enough. Switch them however you like.

The tentacles twitched, and tightened its grip, following the request and spinning the orb. More combined power flowing into me.

Another problem surfaced though. When I manually circulated energy, I couldn’t separate the two forces at all. They were fused, inseparable, perfectly blended, but not equal in influence.

But when I thought about it… maybe that wasn’t a flaw. Maybe it was a feature. With full control, the Water Force—or rathe ice, was punctuated by sharp pulses of combustion. The thin lined across the frost that fractured earth.

The reverse also worked. Fire in charge: Explosions followed by implosions of ice. A strange balance to their imbalance.

Without dominant ice, I doubted I could produce actual water. Without fire, I’d lose the gas-like, fuse-trail effects entirely. There had to be a way to stabilize their interaction. Get what I wanted, when I wanted.

Griffith had applied a purely physical pressure to trigger the change, so maybe I could simulate that. Luna?

Mmm, she hummed, distracted.

I need something, I said, trying to get her attention.

Got it, she responded, instantly alert. What’s up?

Oh. Thanks. It’s nothing major, just… How far can you extend around me? I asked, surprised even by my own question.

She didn’t answer right away, probably testing it out. A couple of minutes passed before she replied.

Comfortably? From your fingertip to your shoulder. Further if I wanted, but it would hurt, and only last a few moments. Why?

Well, there went the idea of a full-body Luna suit. I wanted you to press down on me. Apply pressure.

...

...

Weirdo.

I am not a weirdo! I shot back. It’s for an experiment!

Even as I said it, I knew it sounded worse than intended.

Geez, relax. I’m only joking, she soothed. Why don’t you just grow yourself?

Right. Different species. Different logic. Misunderstandings were inevitable. I know you lived through someone else’s memories, I began, but humans stop growing eventually. Even if we didn’t, how would I—

You have your own roots, she interrupted, clearly annoyed she had to explain this. They’re made from me. You’ve used them before. Back when you first... sort of... died. Anyway, they’re no longer mine. They’re yours now.

Wyrem popped in, of course.

The point is, he declared, my student is telling you to figure it out on your own. She can stretch to your arm, sure, but do you really need your whole body? And you should learn to perform everything on your own... Not that you shouldn't ask for help. But relying on it is not good.

I paused at Wyrem’s words. Did I need my whole body? I needed a decent amount of surface area for the Water Force to fully take the reins, so isolating it to just my hand felt impossible… but actually, that kind of limitation might be a good thing. If I trained one arm to channel Water Force—or maintain balance between the two—and the other specialized in laying down a minefield of fuse energy… that would be... Oh yeah. That's it.

Still, even without locking down the logistics, they were both right.

Fine, I decided. I’ll train my planty powers too. Might as well. And hey, I already have the best teacher for it.

Me! Wyrem declared, bursting with misplaced confidence.

When have you ever been a plant?! Luna barked, her voice flaring loud enough to spark a headache.

He means me, obviously, she added dryly.

And I’m your master, Wyrem insisted, which makes me even more—

I meant Luna, I cut in, slicing down the worm’s ego before it inflated any further. Aren’t you thrilled? Now we can all sound like wise, preachy fools. Since apparently, all three of us are masters now.

He went quiet, but only for a second. Whether he caught the sarcasm or not, I had no idea.

I was wrong, he finally said, tone surprisingly proud. You haven’t lost your touch. Excellent idea. Luna!

Yes? she answered.

Soon, we begin practice on your speeches! he declared with ceremonial flair. You must be prepared to teach the saplings of your village someday too.

Y–yes! she fired back like a recruit snapping to attention. The mention of her clan clearly struck a chord. Wyrem really had figured out how to talk to her.

Yeah, great bonding moment, I said, but I still need to train my abilities first, so Luna, can you help squeeze my arm?

Only before and during your first battle, she allowed, her tone back to brisk and professional. Then we start your new training. Also… stretching that far is still a bit difficult. I can’t hold it more than a minute, I think.

She paused, letting that sink in before continuing.

Anyway, you’ll never reach flower status like me,

her tone grew unbearably smug, but perhaps you can evolve beyond the level of a weed.

I rolled my closed eyes. Greeeaat. Thanks.

You’re welcome! she chirped, too sweetly.

With that settled, I switched my attention back to purification. Once I finished that, Luna and I would work out the proper amount of pressure needed to simulate the conditions Griffith had triggered. But for now, I wanted to speed the whole purification process along. Any gain now would help later.

My channel compared to the Grand Channel had grown more expansive and detailed. Tiny venules now spread out like delicate threads across the extremities of my body. And at the center lay the root system pulsing with energy. I began gathering Internal Force to form a Needle Core and quickly noticed it only consumed about five percent of my total reserves. Two times as efficient as before.

The efficiency reminded me to revisit the Grand Carving method. Just increasing energy flow or creating small reservoirs now felt… outdated. Possibly even dangerous to my progress. Experimenting recklessly didn’t seem smart, so I shelved the idea for later, finishing the formation of two needles before opening my eyes and letting them dissolve naturally.

“Damn,” Elric muttered beside me as the hiss of flowing fire fizzled out. He was brushing his pink-tinged arm delicately, Thea sitting beside him. “Another failure.”

Thea gave a small nod. “I still think boosting our presence in the Inner Space could help.”

He shrugged. “And what makes you think that?”

“Nothing,” she replied plainly.

Elric groaned, rubbing his temples. “Maybe I should try improving Uveled Perception. Could be a flaw there. Peter can already sense Force way better than we can.”

I said nothing, just listened, intrigued by their process. Even if I supposedly had a natural affinity for Force sensing, it wouldn't hurt to have more actual ability in that field. I'm sure, eventually, my edge would dull if I didn’t keep pushing.

Thea shrugged. “Both then. And that ability of yours only worked when you exploded your Nexus like me. So really, you’re just agreeing with me. Admit it.”

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes, clearly ready to spark some lightning into him. I stood, lightly poking her shoulder before she could escalate.

She turned to look at me. Whatever frustration had been brewing in her faded, or at least didn’t show on her face anymore. Instead, she took a step closer, comfortable beside me, or at least, more so than next to him. Not that I was keeping score... I was winning.

“Where’s the slime?” I asked.

Thea lifted a finger, pointing at the snake, still upright, its head tilted toward the sky, a slow plume of smoke drifting from its open jaws. As soon as it sensed my gaze, it lowered its head in a low, light bow.

"No..."

The little slime. Perched on the massive serpent’s back, now plated in a jagged cloak of black scales that covered one side of its gelatinous body like a half-cape. Its once-beady eyes had turned a faint, flickering red, gleaming with an eerie confidence.

The scales didn’t cover it fully. There were wide gaps, almost like the armor was shifting, adapting. It didn’t feel like a natural mutation. More like a crafted defense, a selective transformation.

It wasn’t just some random chimera, slapped together from leftover parts. This seemed intentional. Organized and controlled. Other slimes had evolved into mishmashes of different beasts, or even one that looked completely natural like that weird fox, but this… It felt deliberate.

Maybe they all chose something that suited them? Or was it just fitness selection? I suppose, a monstrous dragon-snake was better than a small fox, but still, if that was the case, why only a small section?

The snake finally coiled down to rest, and the slime gave a little hop, springing off its back and bouncing straight over to Thea. She crouched to meet it and scooped the squishy creature into her hands, holding it out to me with a small grin.

“Evolved,” she announced proudly. “Isn’t he cute?”

I gave a hesitant, almost skeptical smile. “Adorable…” I muttered, then cleared my throat. “So... how did you get the snake to shoot fire at you?”

Elric chimed in. “Just gave it a little nudge. First, we woke it up. It seemed seriously pissed off. But I pointed to the spot where the three of us were cooking earlier, then walked over to it.” He gave a casual shrug. “Seemed to get it without issue. Smart beast.”

“Right. Nice job,” I said, giving him a nod. “I need to work on something. Who’s got time?”

Thea’s hand shot into the air immediately.

“A girlfriend who wants to fight you… Are you guys having problems?” Elric asked with mock concern, smirking.

I stepped forward, closing the space between me and Thea, eyes locked on Elric the whole way. “What? You want me to prove we aren’t?”

Thea rolled her eyes, sighing, and gave me a light shove to the chest, a quiet smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.

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