Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 360: Crafting the Gateway (Part 1)

The storm outside continued its endless fury, lightning illuminating the windows of the workshop in irregular bursts the next morning. The faint glow of the Storm Leaf Trees outside offered the only steady light, their charged leaves casting a pale, violet hue over the main area of the workshop.

Lassim stood across from Rlyis and Eno, the trio gathered around a large blueprint that dominated the central table.

Today marked the beginning of the teleportation device’s assembly—a moment that had been months in the making.

Lassim stepped closer to the table, his gaze sweeping over the blueprint before meeting Eno’s. "So, do you think we’re ready to get to building? Do you have everything you need to make the metals and shape them the way we need?"

Eno gave a faint smirk, gesturing to the neatly arranged materials stacked at one end of the workshop. "The Astrium Veinstone is exactly what we need for the frame. I’ve already gone through the rest of the materials you brought as well."

He tapped a small notepad next to the blueprint. "Some of them are promising, but they’ll need testing before we know for sure. If nothing else, a few are rare enough to keep around for other uses, even if they don’t make the cut for this first design. I think a few would actually improve the design but we don’t have them in enough quantities to make mistakes with them so it’s best if we save those once we see how a full Astrium Veinstone design works."

Lassim nodded, "Alright, we’ll focus on the frame first, then. As long as it should handle the strain when the spatial energy flows through it, we’ll be good." He looked to Rlyis. "Master Rlyis, you said you adjusted the layouts for the keystone and stabilizers?"

Rlyis said as she pointed to a section of the schematic, "The adjustments are done. The keystone module and stabilizers runes are fully integrated with the frame design now. Once the frame’s forged, we’ll start embedding the runes and arrays. Only then will it be the real test of how well this first draft holds up under high-pressure flows of your spatial element."

Eno folded his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "I’ll start on the forging now. The Astrium Veinstone won’t shape easily, but I’ve worked with tougher materials before. Should only take a couple hours to get the modular pieces finished and ready for assembly."

"Great," Lassim said, stepping back and nodding. "While you handle that, Rlyis and I can prepare the engraving tools and double-check the calibration for the array etchings. We’ll also go over the other materials in detail once the frame is done."

"Sounds like a plan," Eno replied, already moving toward the pile of materials he’d set aside earlier.

As he selected the first ingot of Astrium Veinstone, Rlyis glanced at Lassim. "We’ll also need to test the mana storage container once the frame’s done," she said, her eyes locking on him briefly. "If there’s even the slightest instability in the conversion process or energy flow, we’ll find out long before anyone steps through that gate."

Lassim met her gaze and nodded firmly. "Agreed. We’ll deal with that once the foundation is set then. I am a bit worried about its ability to create additional spatial mana from the surroundings after the initial activation with my mana."

The workshop fell silent as Eno stepped forward, his focus narrowing on the Astrium Veinstone resting on the workbench.

Without hesitation, he extended his hand, and the first ingot rose into the air, suspended by the faint glow of his metallic mana.

Lassim and Rlyis stood nearby, watching intently. The storm outside offered intermittent flashes of light through the windows and low rumbles of thunder, but inside, the scene was calm and controlled.

Eno’s movements were well practiced, like that of a master, his mana flowing smoothly into the ingot. The material began to shimmer, its edges softening as it reached a malleable state under his expert guidance. He shaped it with a practiced efficiency that spoke of countless years of mastery and skill, his mana weaving into the Veinstone’s crystalline structure to guide it to a new shape rather than force it—which could cause the bonds to be fragile.

Piece by piece, the modular components of the gateway’s frame, following the arch shape from the design, began to take form. Each section, except for the keystone, was identical in size and shape, the surfaces gleaming faintly with the distinctive deep blue sheen of the Astrium Veinstone.

Lassim observed the process with silent admiration. The way Eno worked was almost meditative. He glanced again at the schematics on the workbench, comparing the designs to the emerging pieces, and found them an exact match.

Rlyis moved to inspect the first completed piece, lifting it carefully with her hands. Her spirit sense swept over its surface, noting the flawless finish and balanced structure. She set it aside without a word; her approval implicit in the action.

Eno continued forging. The second piece followed the first, then the third, each one joining the growing row of components on the ground. They were very large in size and unable to fit in the table shaped workbench.

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When the final piece was complete, Eno lowered his hands, the faint glow of his mana dissipating as the last modular component of the arch settled into place. He straightened, his gaze meeting Lassim’s and Rlyis’.

"They’re done," he said simply.

Lassim stepped forward, running a hand over the nearest piece. The smooth surface was cool to the touch, "Perfect," he murmured.

Rlyis nodded, already gathering the tools and materials needed for the next stage. "Time to embed the arrays."

With the framework complete, the next task was inscribing the spatial runes onto the modular components.

The modular sections of the gateway frame were immense, each one nearly the height of a grown man and heavy enough to require reinforced platforms to lift them up and support their weight during engraving. Thankfully the workshop was well equipped with lifts and mechanical arms to handle oversized and overweight objects to allow engraving from any angle.

To make sure everything connected properly in the final assembly, the pieces were then arranged in a semicircle around the workshop’s central floor, moving the tables and leaving a workbench prepped with tools, the edited rune array schematics, and other miscellaneous things they might need.

Lassim stood before the base plate section that would connect to the ground and hold the gateway in place, his engraving tool in hand. He carefully traced the lines of the first rune, [Solid], onto the smooth surface.

The sheer size of the piece demanded a different approach once he got going, working section by section, moving along the towering frame.

The engraving tool glowed faintly, powered by Lassim’s fused mana as it etched into the Veinstone’s dense surface.

The runes, with his unique holographic aspect, continued to fall into the metal and settle into place with a soft hum after each completion. When the final rune in the first layer merged, the energy resonated evenly throughout the first section.

He paused to inspect his work, his stormy eyes narrowing slightly as he ensured the lines were at least acceptable.

Behind him, Rlyis monitored his progress, her sharp gaze flicking between the schematics and the etched runes. She wanted to mainly keep this as Lassim’s project as the main creator and designer as he deserved the majority of the credit for something this revolutionary. Her goal was to tweak the simple mistakes and support his work.

"The alignment looks good," she said, stepping forward to examine the completed segment. "Make sure the mana channels stay consistent as you move to the next section. Any variation could disrupt the energy flow later."

Lassim nodded, moving to the next important layer of runes, [Lock]. This one was crucial for reinforcing the structural stability of the gateway, preventing the immense spatial forces from tearing it apart during activation.

He adjusted his stance, focusing intently as he began engraving the rune’s intricate pattern and its connection throughout the section.

Eno stood near another section of the frame, preparing the next piece for engraving. His metallic mana flowed around the module, smoothing its surface and removing some minor imperfections left from the forging process that he noticed.

Piece by piece, the foundational runes were inscribed onto the massive sections of the gateway. [Solid], [Lock], and [Anchor] formed the core of the design, their combined functions ensuring the structure would remain intact and stable under the extreme conditions it would face of ripping open and connecting two points of space together with a spatial tunnel.

The process was painstakingly slow as Lassim wanted to get everything right. Each rune required perfect execution, the slightest flaw risking the integrity of the entire device.

By the time Lassim finished the last of the foundational runes, the morning had stretched into early afternoon. He stepped back to stretch, his muscles tense from hours of focused, and hunched over work.

"Good," Rlyis said, inspecting one of the completed sections. She ran her fingers along the etched lines, her sharp eyes catching no faults. "The mana pathways are clean, and the channels you left open for the storage battery device’s overflow are balanced. We’re ready to move on to the advanced runes and additional layers."

Eno joined them, his gaze sweeping over the completed work. "Take a break," he said gruffly, tossing Lassim a flask of water. "You’ll need to be fresh for the next set and you haven’t trained your cultivation since you left. If you want to teach Spirit Transcendence in time for the summit, you’ll need to keep at it. Rlyis and I can start preparing the next sections and the keystone; testing the stabilization points between each."

Lassim hesitated, his gaze lingering on the massive arch segments.

With a nod, he stepped away out of the workshop, heading for the East Grove to meditate and increase his strength.

Lassim used [Storm’s Dance] to travel quickly and entered the East Grove, the tempest surrounding reaching him more easily in the ever-present storm of energy due to the lack of Storm Leaf Trees.

Though, the dense lightning mana barely registered against his stormy spiritual pressure as he moved to his usual spot beneath the massive roots of a Storm Leaf Tree. A massive difference from the days over 6 months ago when the storm’s intensity tore his skin, and lightning to scorch him—causing him to bleed as it tore into him.

Settling into a cross-legged position, he closed his eyes with the halberd across his lap and began to focus inward.

The whirlpool of fused mana in his inner heart world churned steadily, the starry rift above it releasing spatial energy into the stormy currents below.

Lassim directed the chaotic flow, sending it through his body and into the whirlpool to refine it. The dense lightning mana of the grove surged through him, strengthening his reserves with each rotation of his [Stormbringer] cultivation technique.

He reflected briefly on the progress they had made that morning. The framework and initial rune engraving were complete, but the most delicate and critical stages were still ahead.

The thought of integrating the keystone and testing the mana storage module brought a faint edge of tension to his thoughts, but he pushed it aside, centering himself in the steady rhythm of his mana.

The process was methodical, and by the time he opened his eyes nearly four hours later, the slightly mental fatigue from the morning’s work had faded.

Without lingering, he stood, stretched briefly by rolling his shoulders, before making his way back to the workshop.

Back in the workshop, Lassim found Eno and Rlyis deep in discussion over the placement of the keystone’s runes.

"The alignment has to be exact," Rlyis was saying, "Even a fraction of an error will destabilize the spatial bridge."