I woke up on a bed of dust and rock. The dirt was so dry that the most minor stir kicked up puffs of dust. I laid on my back, regaining my breath. I don't know how long I spent reforging my mind. Based on the painful numbness rooted in my muscles, it must've been a few days… possibly a week.

Despite my body feeling like dead weight, my mind was alive and burning with thoughts—most of which were reflective of the end process when I fed everything into the forge. Inside the purple flames, existence became a constant battle. My pillars, desires, and very existence were challenged. I was forced to coat everything with my will. At the same time, the fires burned around me—the natural consequences of throwing myself into a furnace, even a metaphysical one.

As the fire burned deep, I held on tight and endured. My pathways, desires, mind, and being became one in the forge. When the fire finally cooled, I had a platinum mind essence. My reforging process was successful, and I'd reached a rank higher than perfection. I had a reforged platinum mind. What did that even mean?

I stood up, kicking up a storm of dust with me. More dust got kicked up as I took a couple balance steps. It took ten heartbeats for me to steady. Even then, I had to stand still. As I got acquainted with my body, my mind scanned my soul, ensuring my spirit and body essences hadn't been damaged. Though sluggish, the remainder of my soul was good, and my mind was incredible. That left Cal…

Before the thought of summoning Cal finished forming, a black falcon of black condensed ice and mana scripts appeared. Every detail of the bird looked real, from the feathers to its eyes. Calypso landed on the ground and, in a flash of water vapor, shifted into his flayen body.

While reforging, I had to face my doubts and fears. Calypso was a real threat to my existence; however, during the grueling cycle, I learned that the entity was only loyal to me. Perhaps I broke him through solitary confinement; it could be he respected my mind, or possibly he believed I was his best chance at survival. Whatever his reason was, I knew, without a doubt, that Cal was an asset. Our heightened trust and the amplified power of my mind had given him access to more control and power.

"Hey, Cal," I said to the flayen, meeting him face to face.

The flayen looked at his hands in disbelief as he stretched his fingers. His beard of tentacles had a tight braid. Instead of pale, nearly-blue flesh, his skin had a healthier light blue appearance. It was like the difference between a vibrant sky and a wilted flower.

Cal cracked his knuckles, stretched his limbs, and laughed. He ran a hand through his short blonde mohawk—a hairstyle I hadn't noticed on the flayen before—then proceeded to stroke his beard. The small act brought him great joy and increased his laughter.

I smiled, letting my summon enjoy his moment.

"A platinum mind," Cal said. "Brilliant." He smiled and laughed.

"Thanks. What does it mean?"

"I have no idea. But it is better than gold."

"Figured."

"This is uncharted territory as far as I am concerned. Do you feel smarter?"

I hesitated before answering Cal's question. Did I feel smarter? What would that even mean or feel like? Unlike when my mind was boosted three levels in the knowledge pathways by the flayen, I wasn't granted a library of knowledge. Information didn't bleed out of memories, and I didn't feel like I had an enhanced capability to apply the knowledge in a new way. Nor did I feel more creative.

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On the other hand, my processing was sharper. Time barely crawled outside my thoughts, almost like I was in my mindscape.

The world appeared more vibrant as well. I could see the limitations of the bodies Cal, and I possessed. Beyond the facade of flesh were layers of ice, mana, and scripts created a realistic illusion of our bodies. Millions of crystals interlaced together created the barrier around me. The barrier had lost most of its thickness, and I could see drops forming at the top. Eagerly, the dry ground waited for the drip as if it needed a drink.

Icey also had been stripped of most of his shell. This wasn't good. I covered my body in a new protective shell with a thought and a guiding hand.

"No," I answered Cal's question. "But I do feel different."

"Sweet," Cal said with a fist bump. The response of the flayen was unusual… for him. Before I could question it, he covered his tracks. "We need to perform tests immediately."

Cal's body dissipated as I nodded in agreement, and he returned to my mind. His presence felt a lot less invasive. Still, I couldn't allow myself to trust him completely. A part of me wanted to believe that we were now partners, that maybe we could be friends. The logical side of me was terrified of the idea. It would be unsafe to completely trust him.

I summoned an ice chair and reinforced the barrier. As I got into a comfortable position, a boom shook my shell. A vibration of sound rattled inside my dome. More loud bangs struck my barrier, adding to the reverberations. I summoned my black armor and pushed out with my domain. Snowpiercer was in my hand, and a long sword was attached to my back.

My domain covered my barrier first. More ice and will was added to the protective barrier. The attacks were increasing in intensity. At first, they were scattered around the dome. Now, they focused on one spot, hammering it repeatedly. I pushed my domain out further. Past my barrier, I couldn't sense moisture. The air, wildlife, and ground felt very dry—like they'd been drained of all water and left to wilt, much like the dirt inside my shell.

My domain hit a wall of energy and came to a complete stop. I pushed out further, exerting my will. The force that pushed back was blunt as a boulder and just as stubborn. I could tell that the technique used to impede my domain was lacking. However, the skill gap was shored up by a mountain of power. The mountain advanced.

The banging on my shell became a constant boom. My domain was pushed back, creeping back into my shell. The barrier helped my mana control, and my domain was no longer suppressed. I held my domain and shell intact as I weathered the storm of attacks. Fortunately, my domain-enforced shell could take these blunt attacks.

Unfortunately, the blunt attacks came to a stop. It no longer sounded like I was being hammered by a boulder. It sounded like a boulder was driving a nail through my barrier. It wasn't a nail. It was a wedge. A massive wedge of hardened earth.

My barrier broke after a five-foot-wide blade penetrated the barrier. Ice fell in chunks, and earth mana crashed down on me like a landslide. My domain was restricted by another five feet. I pushed back, keeping my power from being restricted any further.

The weight of a mountain pushed down on me as dust and ice settled. Bright rays of a retiring sun caused me to turn my head. Dead redwoods and withered life filled my vision. I looked all around, finding the same image. The vibrant forest had been stripped of all water.

I looked at my hands as if they were to blame. As I looked up, I saw a muscular orc covered in earth armor standing before me. He was tuskless and had a clean gray beard. A massive war hammer rested on his shoulders, looking like it weighed nothing. His old eyes were filled with accusations.

"Why?" The grounder asked, his highlander accent still thick. He shook his head and spit to the side. The dirt absorbed the liquid before it hit the ground. Stone-covered hands gripped the war hammer tighter. In a blur of motion, the hammer raced toward my head.

I swallowed my response as I was forced to dodge the grounder's attack.