Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 318: The Path Between Distances

That night, seated by the window of his quarters that overlooked the Storm Leaf Tree forest, Lassim put the journal on the desk before him. This journal was the one filled with the collection of notes and observations he had made over the past months, detailing his experiences with various Sect Elders during his recent missions. Each entry captured the essence of their techniques, philosophies, and how he might be able to mimic or translate those into his future attack style.

As Lassim flipped through its pages, his fingers brushed past sketches, annotations, and ideas he’d written down. He paused on one particular entry, which was what he’d written about Elder Daxion’s [Thunderveil Curtain] technique. It was the reason he was here at the Tempest’s Cradle in particular, but dealing with those wraithmire demons and their illusions conjured thoughts of the assassin that used mirage-like techniques.

Until this point, Lassim hadn’t developed any techniques for stealth or mirages. This could be a path to explore in the future, using the water element and possibly space as the basis for twisting and warping things to confuse and evade enemies. He flipped to the latest page to write that idea down to not forget.

Flipping back, he continued to remind himself, reviewing the notes about all of the other encounters and techniques he’s written. Still, as he did so, the same question he’d maintained for months since he started lingered in his mind, stubbornly refusing to be dismissed.

What did his ideal attack technique look like?

[Hydroburst] had once been his cornerstone and first technique that he’d created—a devastating technique that allowed him to explosively deal with large groups of enemies or even enemies multiple levels above him before he fused his mana. Now with that fusion, it was gone, eclipsed by his advancement and mana’s evolution.

In its place, he wielded the raw power that his new fused mana provided of lightning, water, and space and the lightning sprite fish innately filled with his intent. Yet, for all its potential, it lacked elegance and his attacks reverted back a step to the basic [Thrust], [Slash], [Slam], and other simple forms of his initial Vanthar family halberd technique.

Lassim leaned back, letting out a slow breath as his gaze shifted to the storm outside his window. The Tempest’s Cradle was an undeniable marvel, just like Elder Daxion had recommended. A single day made him agree with how wonderful it felt as a Lightning cultivator to be within this natural resource area with the churning storm clouds, their unceasing motion imbued with a raw volatility, violence and tempestuous nature that spoke to him.

As he stared at the roiling expanse of violet-lit clouds, he found himself marveling at their vastness. They churned endlessly, their chaotic currents holding a strange, mesmerizing order. It was as though the storm embodied the ideals he sought in his cultivation: pure power, adaptability regardless of the surroundings—inflicting its damage in spite of it, and the harmony between water, lightning and wind elements.

He felt his mind being sucked in towards the clouds…

Yet, the faint vibration and chime of his communication disc inside his magic pouch broke this sensation.

Lassim blinked, the sound pulling him from his odd trance. He reached for the device, its glowing surface displaying a single name.

Sanvra.

A faint smile crossed his lips. Sanvra—the Drow Priestess who had been instrumental in his survival in the Drow realm and was now rebuilding her people’s lives in his birthplace, Swallowtail Mountain City. Her wisdom and kindness had often been a source of inspiration and her friendship important to him.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

He tapped the disc, allowing her message to appear in shimmering, holographic script.

Lassim, greetings from Swallowtail. I hope this message finds you well. Are you advancing in cultivation rapidly still? I’m sure you’re at least at peak Spirit Transformation stage by now… All is peaceful here, though we’ve had an intriguing breakthrough that I thought you might want to know about.

Lassim leaned closer, curiosity flickering in his violet and lightning filled eyes as the text continued.

Cirra and Gregor have been experimenting with the Blue Kindred Herb—one of the plants we brought with us in the move from Khaalseru’s lands. You might recall it; I used it on your wounds as an antiseptic to prevent infections during your arrival. It seems to have unexpected and other fascinating properties that the duo have recently discovered. When prepared a certain way, it can briefly enhance Spirit Sense, allowing individuals to communicate mentally for a few moments. Cirra, ah—Khaalseru bless her, for the moment she discovered this while playing around with it for its hallucinogenic properties in a night of fun with Gregor, she about nearly fainted.

But there are challenges. The effects are fleeting—barely five minutes—and it requires both individuals to inhale the herb simultaneously with the other specialized ingredients. We also have a limited supply of the Blue Kindred Herb that has been slow to grow for some reason in the lands your family gifted us. Additionally, one of the necessary stabilizing components is found only on the Isle of Westwynn in the Great Western Continent.

The Isle of Westwynn. Lassim’s reading of the message paused as his thoughts immediately drifted to the Beast Tamers he had encountered during his travels. Their finely tailored garments, unique accents with strange, overly formal speaking patterns, and their leader Alistair’s invitation to visit him in the future instantly flashed in his memory. They had spoken of Westwynn as they called themselves The Beast Tamers of the Isle of Westwynn. He continued reading.

Cirra and Gregor remain determined, but without access to Westwynn’s resources, their progress is going to be limited for a while. Regardless, we’ll continue to do our best here. My best regards to you and I do hope that I will see My Star once more in the near future. The other Drow and an occasionally cranky Hallen miss your presence as well. I’m doing well to distract and support him as he helps us build a new home. He talks about you often, but he truly needs a new set of stories about you to tell. I’ve listened to your performance at the Durelia Town tournament too many times now. We look forward to your next arrival.

The message ended, leaving Lassim staring at the glowing script. He set the disc down, Sanvra’s words echoing in his mind. He thought of Swallowtail Mountain City and what the vibrant life of the Drow must look like; blossoming there compared to where they lived before. The Drow had endured so much, and yet they were a species that thrived on little, their resilience a reminder of what faith in the Gods and their own determination could achieve.

"If only I could just teleport there," Lassim muttered, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "To Westwynn first, and then to Swallowtail…"

The thought hung in the air, unassuming at first.

Then, like a spark igniting a dry forest, it began to grow.

Teleportation.

The simplicity of the word belied its immense implications. What if he could create an array—no, a system of enchanted tools—like a bridge—that transported people and things across vast distances? His pulse quickened as the concept unfurled in his mind.

His ability to manipulate space was still nascent, barely explored except in the two emergency uses he’s had to riskily save his life by teleporting randomly without direction, sending that Sun Drops into the void during his time with the Bombardier, and the self-training he’d done transporting small stones across tiny distances. Its potential was staggering though. His thoughts continued as he pondered if he could harness this potential. If he did, he might be able to achieve a whole new system of transportation across all of Nexaria, and possibly other worlds.

"It’s definitely possible," he whispered, his voice steady despite the racing thoughts in his mind.

He rose from his chair, pacing the small room as the idea took shape. The challenges were daunting.

First, stability. Getting a stable travel through the spatial fabric was hard enough, but teleporting larger objects interfered with that stability.

Second was precision. Teleporting required him to know the end destination in advance. He’d need to personally have travelled to both the entrance and the exit unless he developed some sort of way around this, which could be troublesome.

Last was the energy consumption. Teleporting used up quite a large amount of the void energy within his inner heart world every time he activated it and as far as he’s aware, he’s currently the only other person that has access to the spatial element.

But, Lassim had never been one to shy away from a challenge. If anything, the obstacles only fueled his determination as he found himself no longer lacking in a direction for the future. It still wasn’t an attack technique, but this would be a good main project to ponder over during long hours of meditation underneath the Storm Leaf Trees.

"It would need…," he murmured to himself. "Well, the foundation must be spatial runes…right? But, how do I create those? The elements and entire concepts are different from lightning arrays…"

His thoughts turned to the constructs he had built, and arrays he’d learned with Eno and Rlyis. Those projects had taught him the intricacies of rune placement, structure, energy flow, and even how to troubleshoot problems with placement inside incompatible materials that might react negatively to the mana outputs. However, this was an entirely different realm of complexity; even further beyond that making the Semi-Spirit Mystic construct that became a full fledged Spirit Mystic stage hybrid beast construct. Translating his understanding of lightning runes into a new, unknown spatial rune language would be the first and most critical step.

"I suppose we just have to start from scratch?" Lassim said aloud, his brows furrowed. "New runes mean a new language. Well, not my first time learning a new language."

The idea was daunting, but it resonated with him. Lightning runes were familiar territory, each symbol ingrained in his enhanced mind, and even the familiarity of some Water elemental runes were quite literally within him as part of his [Tidal Rune] that merged with his inner heart world.

Lassim returned to his desk, pulling out a fresh sheet of array paper. He stared at the blank page, his fingers gripping the quill that he had set on his desk tightly as he considered the task before him.

Like every other rune, every line and complete shape had to mean something. It probably wouldn’t be enough to just replicate the patterns and shapes he already knew; he had to forge a new set, one that embodied the nature of space.

"The foundation of spatial energy…" he murmured. His mind sifted through memories of all the times where he’d manipulated space. Each time he’d done so, he recalled the feeling of the spatial fabric that connected and intercrossed every aspect of the world and how it was within his grasp to bend to his will. Those moments with [Spatial Vision] active, his progenitor marks spread across his body as he observed the connection between distant points becoming tangible threads he could weave together.

He began to sketch, his strokes tentative at first. Simple curves flowed into angular intersections, his quill moving with deliberate care as he tested shapes that might capture the essence of spatial manipulation. He paused often, scrutinizing each symbol and often crossing out to start again before moving on.

The first attempts were crude, borrowing too heavily from lightning runes’ familiar structures. Their sharp, aggressive angles clashed with the subtlety he needed. Lassim scratched them out with a frustrated sigh, the lines smudging under his hand.

"No," he muttered. "It’s not about a strong force that dominates aggressively with a violent freedom. Space isn’t something you dominate—it’s something you weave, something you connect. It should be more web-like… right?" he spoke; unsure.

He closed his eyes, focusing inward. Within his inner heart world, the swirling stardust whirlpool beneath the floating landmass came into view. The currents of his fused mana continued in their swift rotation, the patterns of the flashy stardust were elegant yet unpredictable as they interacted with the void energy that filled his inner heart world.