Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 314: Refocusing

Back at the outpost, the morning sunlight crept into the room on the next morning, casting faint golden hues across the walls and illuminating the lingering remnants of the prior day’s review and interrogation from Elder Mei.

After their conversation and the revelation that Lassim had exposed about being a specific target of the Abyssal General of Rage’s focus, Elder Mei quickly left to convene in a private conversation with the Sect Master Volten. She had always worried about the potential harm Lassim could cause to the sect when he first joined, but this was a new magnitude higher than anything else.

Due to many capturing’s and interrogations and sometimes the spreading of information from the Abyssal Cult to show how truly futile it was to oppose the Abyss, everyone knew that Abyssal Generals, despite never having had one cross over into Nexaria yet, were Demi-God level existences under the Dragal’s control. These were their trusted leaders and the entities that were also tasked with training the Dragal children, the princes and princesses, of the newer generations as they quickly matured and outgrew the other races they dominated. These Generals were terrifying and unless the pantheon intervened themselves, Lassim was going to be in serious trouble during the next attack if a General showed up personally.

Lassim stirred, his body weighed down by the invisible burden of the battle’s aftermath. Pain radiated from his waist and shoulders, his wounds still healing despite the tireless efforts of [Lifestream Aegis] and Dara’s expert care. He let out a slow, controlled breath, his gaze falling to his waist. The faint scars, crisscrossing his stomach, felt like an impossible brand. He had the Leviathan’s blood and curse inside him that enhanced his physicality to an absurd level, but this large scar across him was a clear example of how close he and the others had come to death that he knew he’d purposefully keep instead of fully heal. He needed this reminder to push him further. Almost like a keepsake of sorts until he personally killed the General of Rage.

He pushed himself upright, his muscles protesting much less than the day before, but still present with a dull ache. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The scent of herbs and broth still filled the air, Dara’s presence and her seemingly boundless energy almost radiating from her position a few doors down.

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Yet, even that warmth couldn’t dispel the gnawing unease building in his chest. His hands lingered on his knees as he replayed the fight against the demon assassin in his mind. Each clash, each non-stop desperate defense, and the final gamble of filling the construct with his intent resurfaced with perfect clarity.

He had survived, yes, but survival wasn’t enough.

His spirit sense moved to the halberd floating in his inner heart world, its polished surface reflecting the rainy clouds above the landmass, the massive whirlpool swirling with ethereal stardust that mimicked and was the representation of his fused mana, and the flying Zaphy and floating Mari nearby.

The weapon and his companions had pushed him this far, allowing him a defense against an opponent so far beyond his current level; quite literally 2 entire full stages higher than him. Even with the fused mana and the boost granted by the miraculous Lightning Sprite Fish, he had barely scraped through.

The knowledge of how close they had come to total failure tightened his jaw. It was a repeat of the Mercy situation all over again, but this time it wasn’t just his life at stake; Rlyis and Eno had nearly died because they were next to him.

Despite their strength and expertise, they were first and foremost Array Masters. They were more of the studious type than the combat type, and they had paid that price for literally the only reason being that they were standing beside him. This thought hung heavy in the air as Lassim rose to his feet and began making his way to the recovery room where the other two were healing.

The sound of Dara’s soft humming reached him first, a lively tune at odds with the somber atmosphere of the outpost. Lassim’s spirit sense could still feel the Light Sect Guards that surrounded the perimeter of the entire workshop’s now expanded grounds.

He entered the room to find her perched on a stool between the two beds, her green curls bouncing with each movement as she worked to replace bandages and adjust her healing techniques that the staff floating by her side was maintaining. There was also a small, and very cute, white mouse that was sat seriously atop the staff as well. Lassim felt the connection and bond between the furry critter and Dana and instantly recognized that it must be her nature elemental companion.

Dara glanced up as he entered, her cheerful expression lighting up as she waved him over. "Well, look who’s up and walking! I’m glad you were able to get some more rest after that tense conversation yesterday."

She then gestured to the two beds with a tilt of her head. "Don’t worry, they’re stable—though I could do without the glaring contest Eno seems to be having with death itself. Stubborn fellow."

Lassim managed a faint smile and moved to Rlyis’s side, his steps slow and deliberate. The sight of her pale face sent a pang through his chest, the knot of guilt tightening further. "Be honest with me, please. How bad was it really?" he asked.

Dara paused, her brow furrowing slightly as she considered her words. "Bad," she admitted, her tone uncharacteristically serious. "Abyssal corruption is already notoriously hard to deal with to begin with. Yet, you managed to be targeted by a Spirit Mystic stage demon Captain that had managed to develop his own intent. Such an existence is extremely rare at the first level of Spirit Mystic stage as it’s usually the prerequisite to forming your own law at the Spirit Prince/Princess stage. If I’d arrived even a minute later, we’d be having a very different conversation right now. But you held on, offering your healing, long enough for me to do my thing, so… points for effort?" She offered a small, reassuring smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Lassim’s fingers brushed the edge of Rlyis’s blanket, his mind replaying the moment the assassin’s tendrils had struck them down. "If I was stronger…" he murmured.

Dara’s hand stilled mid-motion, and she turned to him with a sharp look. "Oh, don’t start with that," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "You fought a Spirit Mystic stage assassin and lived to tell the tale. That’s not something most people can say, Lassim. Let alone someone that is only 16 years old. You should still be doing gathering missions for the sect at your age, battling it out with others at the Sect’s arena to gain popularity with the girls, and slowly improving your first [Lightning Bolt] battle arts. Rlyis and Eno are alive because of you, not in spite of you."

Her words landed, but the knot in Lassim’s chest remained. He glanced at Eno, whose normally imposing and armored figure seemed exposed and frail against the pristine white sheets.

"They wouldn’t have been hurt if I’d been stronger or had I not spent the time learning their profession," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I’ve been playing at learning arrays, seeing it as some form of inspiration for trying to find my own attack fighting style, but it’s not enough. My cultivation hasn’t progressed at all past Spirit Ascension level 2. If I’d been at a higher level or heck, even the next stage—if I’d taken the time to focus more on absorbing and refining my mana further since I have no bottlenecks—I could’ve handled that demon alone. Probably quickly too…"

Dara crossed her arms, her usual cheer giving way to exasperation. "You’re not a one-man army, Lassim," she said bluntly. "No one is. You did everything you could, and that was enough to save their lives. Stop trying to carry the weight of the entire sect on your shoulders. You’ll break under it. Let the Elders and the Sect Master worry about those kinds of burdens."

Lassim met her gaze, surprised by the sharpness of her tone, but before he could respond, Dara softened. "Look," she said gently, placing a hand on his arm, "if you think it’s time to refocus your training, then do it. But don’t beat yourself up over what’s already done. Learn from it and move forward."

He nodded slowly, the tension in his chest easing slightly. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Dara smiled and gave him a playful nudge. "That’s more like it. Now, go brood somewhere else. I don’t want your moodiness to affect my patient’s healing."

Lassim left the recovery room with his mind clearer but no less determined. He made his way to his room, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as he entered his Inner Heart World.

The expanse of sparkling and ethereal star dust that swirled within the whirlpool greeted his spirit sense first, its surface reflecting the element of space but also the shimmering stars of the Leviathan constellation above through the hole to the void.

Inside, Lassim swore he could sense air that was cool and soothing too. It was an odd sensation but it made him feel like he was truly beginning to be in some other world when he focused fully on being present in his inner heart world.

Marinelle appeared before his mental spirit first, her presence exuding the gentle and reassuring nature as always. Her flowing form seemed to ripple like the water itself. Zaphyrella followed shortly after, her arrival marked by a quick flash of light. She hovered, mid-glide yet unmoving, just next to her sister, her expression curious as she looked towards Lassim.

Lassim wasted no time voicing his frustrations. "I’ve been thinking… I’ve spent all this time learning arrays, and now I’m questioning if that was a mistake. I could’ve used that time to advance my cultivation instead." His gaze dropped to the swirling whirlpool below. "But arrays have saved me too through the construct. I built several of those array lines myself and it’s clear being an Array Master has a lot of benefits. I don’t know if I should give them up, but I just know I need to get stronger."

Zaphyrella tilted her thunderbird head, her eagle-like, golden lightning eyes fixed on him as she ruffled her feathers lightly. "Why quit?" she asked, "Why not do both? You’re not limited, brother. You’ve got the books, the tools—bring them with you. Keep working on arrays when you’ve got time. You don’t have to stop just because you’re focusing on something else."

Lassim blinked, caught off guard by the simplicity of her suggestion.

"She’s right," Marinelle said. Her long, sinuous body and flowing fins circled him, "You don’t have to choose one or the other, child. But you do need to decide what matters most to you right now. It’s true that you’ve been putting so much energy into arrays that you haven’t cultivated at all. I believe we all can see that the Spirit Ascension stage requires much more than what the natural rate of conversion of ambient mana to divine mana that the progenitor marks can provide over a short period. Actively cultivating, like the time when we were in the Spirit Incubation stage or even converting your mana to divine in the Spirit Growth stage, would speed things up more."

Lassim frowned, her words resonating. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d been relying on the marks to condense his mana without actively cultivating recently. They were truly overpowered and once his cultivation changed to divine mana and he received the marks from Khaalseru, he’d fallen into the trap of complacency, letting the marks do the work for him.

He couldn’t even actually recall the last time he even used his [Storm Bringer] cultivation technique for anything other than circulating his mana within him during battle or building arrays.

"And hey," Zaphyrella added, her tone light but pointed, "don’t forget, you’ve gained a lot of power from killing others as part of the gift Big Sis Leviathan gave you. If you take on some tough enemies, or a whole lot of them, you’ll speed up your growth even more like you did during the sect war. Plus, you know, it’s fun to slap people and big dumb beasts with fat lightning bolts."

Despite himself, Lassim chuckled softly. "You make it sound so easy."

"Because it is," Zaphyrella said, flaring her wings slightly. "You’re already a force to be reckoned with. Now just keep going big brother! We’re here with you!"

Lassim nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. He didn’t have to abandon arrays or learning more, but he couldn’t let them consume all his time like they had recently either.

If he was going to be the target of some Demi-God level demon, he needed to wholly focus on cultivation and developing his techniques—especially techniques using the space element.

The entire battle with the assassin had made him realize he wasn’t even using a third of his potential. If he’d been able to use his space element effectively, even incorporating a tiny bit of what he knew he could do, like teleport objects from one spot to the other, he might’ve saved Rlyis and Eno from their injuries or turned the tide of the fight sooner.

"Thank you," he said finally, his voice firm. "I’ll borrow and bring lots of the array materials with me. But, yeah, it’s time to leave and focus on training. I need to get stronger. And quick."

Marinelle inclined her head, her serene expression beneath her golden dragon horns unwavering. "We’ll be here to keep you on track, child."

Zaphyrella let out a low squawk of approval. "Let’s get moving, big brother! We’ve got work to do!"

Lassim’s consciousness and focus returned to his body. He rose from the floor and he began packing his belongings, mainly the ordinary satchel that held what few Array Master tools that were dedicated to him. He took all of the array books from the shelves and planned to head to the workshop in a moment with a slight bit of guilt, but with the resolve to pay back Rlyis and Eno in the future.

As he exited the room, the amount of noise he was making drew attention. Dara entered as he was storing away everything in his magic pouch and after changing into a fresh set of his personal disciple sect attire, her green curls bouncing vividly as they sprang up and down her tall height. She tilted her head curiously asking, "What’s all this? You planning a big move?"

Lassim nodded, his expression resolute. "I’ve made a decision. It’s time to leave the outpost and focus on my cultivation. I’ve learned a lot here, but I need to be stronger for what’s coming."

Dara studied him for a moment before offering a small smile. "Well, I figured that much," she said. "Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, okay? I don’t want to have to respond to another one of your emergency calls. I will, but I won’t like it."

Lassim chuckled, "I promise. I’m heading to the Tempest’s Cradle. It should be fine, I hope."

Her eyes followed him as he left a note for Rlyis and Eno on the table beside their beds, expressing his gratitude for their guidance and vowing to return stronger. He also apologized for not being able to help fuel the next versions of the construct with more intent and hoped the other construct might be able to help with this, but that he was proud to have been apart of the team.

As he stood at the edge of the outpost, the construct had followed him and growled softly, its posture tense as though sensing his departure.

"I know I don’t have the control panel to give orders, but please stay here and protect them," Lassim said, placing a hand on its angled and predatory wolf snout. "They’ll need you more than I do if things get crazy."

The construct hesitated briefly before nodding, its eyes glowing brighter as if it understood before it returned to its post at the residence.

With one final look at the outpost, Lassim activated [Lightning Steps], disappearing into the distance as he began the next phase of his journey.