Imri felt like he was being torn apart and that the very fabric of his being was unwinding on a fundamental level. He was aware of Emelia shouting out to him, but it sounded like she was far away, not standing right over him as he rationally knew she was.
He could stay somewhat coherent despite the pervasive agony, thanks to his higher willpower. He mentally followed the pain back to its source, to the part of him that he had been unable to sense, to his core.
He felt his consciousness being ripped from his body. It was similar to the sensation of his Transcendant Meditation, only this time, it was being forced upon him. His mental projection traveled thousands of kilometers straight through the ground toward the planet's center.
His mental projection slowed to a halt as he appeared in a massive cavern that easily dwarfed the largest stadiums. Even the chamber he had been in on the Collective Intelligence’s Dyson Sphere had been smaller than where he was now. A massive sphere dominated most of the cavern, easily several times larger than the Sphere in Las Vegas. It glowed with blue and green energies constantly swirling around. Given where Imri was and the scale of what he was looking at, this could only be the world core.
Imri switched his vision to see the mana itself and immediately regretted it. His eyes were blinded in a bright light so strong it was like looking into the sun, despite having started with the lowest sensitivity he could. Feeling stupid, Imri waited for his eyes to readjust to normal vision. When it did, he studied the massive sphere for several minutes, all while the agony continued to suffuse his mind and body.
It didn’t take him long to notice the problem. A strange growth covered a portion of the core's exterior. It appeared biological, resembling an organ, though black like a smoker's lung. It was small compared to the entire core, though it was still comparable in size to Imri. Small capillaries extended from the perverse organ for several meters along the exterior of the core.
Intermittently, the growth would pulse and excrete a brackish liquid into the vibrant energies within the core. After that was done, Imri could see it suck some of the vibrant energies out of the core, noticeably growing larger when it did so. As it did this, Imri felt the pain intensify, as if a part of himself was being sucked into the strange organ.
While the amount absorbed and then excreted wasn’t significant, Imri suspected its absorption rate would increase as it grew. This meant it was an exponential growth loop, where the cancerous substance grew and multiplied until it completely enveloped and consumed the massive core.
Despite having never seen a planetary core, it fell under the general system information his Primordial Intuition provided him. The planetary core provided the energy that suffused the entire planet and shaped it into what it was. That was why such a massive planetary body didn’t have crushing amounts of gravity. It was the reason for the mana density regions throughout the planet.
Whatever was happening to the core was likely reflected in the world as a whole. When the core was converted, the world would be a reflection of it. Likewise, his body itself also appeared to be connected to the core, as if he were an extension of the planet itself. His agony would only grow more unbearable as the cancerous cells multiplied and intensified their assault.
While Imri studied the perverse growth and considered what he could possibly do with just his mental projection, he felt another presence brush against his mind.
“How fascinating,” the presence projected into his mind as it established a mental link between them.
Its tone sounded like it was talking at a normal volume, yet the amount of mental force being used made it reverberate through Imri’s mind. It induced another wave of pain, though it barely registered compared to the already excruciating agony he was constantly experiencing.
“Why are you doing this?” Imri mentally projected back.
“I’m just making this world a bit more hospitable for myself and my children,” the entity projected back, the amusement clear in their tone.
“What are you?” Imri asked.
“That’s not nearly as interesting as what you are,” the presence said, amused by the situation.
“I’m just a normal person,” Imri lied flippantly.
“That’s clearly not the case,” the being said.
Instead of trying to convince Imri to spill his secrets, the presence invaded his mind. It was like the attack the Azala infiltrator had tried using on him, only several orders of magnitude stronger. Despite his stacking resistances and powerful mind, the presence easily overwhelmed his mental defenses like they were only a paper shield.
Imri knew there was no possible way he could defeat this creature. Its power was so far beyond him as it effortlessly accessed his mind like an open book. He could feel it rifling through his mind, accessing every memory he had. It took only seconds for it to know everything about him.
“You really don’t know,” it said, practically vibrating with wicked pleasure.
Imri knew it was over, that he was utterly outclassed and out of his depth. He wanted the agony to stop and to receive the blissful release of oblivion.
“That isn’t going to happen; you are far too valuable alive. If you come willingly, I will spare your fiance and unborn child,” the creature offered.
Imri considered their offer. While he had no guarantee that the creature would keep its word, any chance, even a small one, was worth taking the bargain.
However, before he could accept their deal, his reality shifted again. Instead of his mental projection being in the massive cavern, he was back near Celestia. He looked around in confusion, and then he spotted Emelia. She looked angelic in her white dress as the orange glow of the setting sun backlit her. She smiled at him, and the agony he had been feeling faded to a bearable level.
He saw a vision of his potential future, where his son was born. He saw his family grow, both in size and numbers. He saw their joy as he approached them, confident that their father could protect them from anything in this new world.
It was a tenuous future, balanced on a knife's edge as he was desperately outmatched by what he now assumed was the Azala Queen. He knew the odds were stacked against him, but he would fight until the end to see that future.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Imri felt a pleasant warmth cascade throughout his body, lessening the agony. He had thought it hadn’t been affecting him, but as the pain lessened, his mind cleared. He could still feel the foreign presence in his mind; while it was powerful, it wasn’t omnipotent. It wouldn’t be asking for his cooperation if it could completely subvert his mind.
With an effort of willpower, Imri managed to shield his mind. He could feel the Queen's annoyance through the established link as if she couldn't be bothered to deal with an annoying pest. She began probing at his defense, looking for an easy way in instead of using overwhelming force. Her initial assault had been more strenuous for her than he had initially thought.
Imri thought about why he was here. It hadn’t been the Queen who had yanked his mental projection down here. The Queen would have been content to let the core be converted, to turn the entire planet into their domain, where they were likely near omnipotent.
He shifted his focus to the core, doing his best to ignore the pain and mental assault. He could feel his power within the core, yet it wouldn’t be accurate to say it was his core. It was a part of him, but it wasn’t just his.
The realization confused Imri. Fortunately, now that he knew it was a part of him, he could feel it with his body scan meditation, like his arms or legs. However, the connection was still tenuous, like a numb limb. Fortunately, as he focused his mind's eye on the core, he could feel it.
He felt the powerful and pure mana swirling and crashing like a powerful wave in the middle of the ocean. He could feel the vibrant essence, full of life and vigor like a tall, verdant forest teeming with flora and fauna. He felt the brackish essence the Azala had excreted, invasive and vile like a festering wound.
In addition to the various energies, Imri felt something else: a presence within the core itself. It was simultaneously ancient and powerful yet not fully formed, and immense amounts of mana were being absorbed into it. He could feel the terror of the being within the core as its energy was corrupted, and he felt drawn to help it.
Imri must have been nearing some epiphany because he felt the Azala renew its ferocious assault on his mind. He strained as his mind felt like it would give in at any moment. He wouldn’t have been able to continue without the visions and the soothing healing that had renewed his focus.
He thought about why the entity was so familiar and why he felt like he was a part of it. Then, it clicked into place when he shifted his perspective to consider what he was to it. He was an extension of the being within the core, an appendage that could move and think independently, like the tentacle of an octopus. He might not have been physically connected, but that didn’t matter to a being of such immense power. He was spiritually tethered to the being within the core, and if it perished, so would he.
With that revelation, he felt a surge of power and a flood of notifications that he processed in a fraction of a second.
Heritage Rank Up E to D Heritage Improved from tier 1 to tier 2 Your Heritage has evolved from Primordial 1D to Manifestation of Gaia 2F
Manifestation of Gaia 2F Primary Stats/Level Strength .3% (+.1%) Agility .3% (+.1%) Constitution .35% (+.15%) Intelligence .75% (+.25%) Willpower .6% (+.25%) Charisma .3% (+.1%) Secondary Stats/Level HP .4% (+.25%) FP .3% (+.15%) MP .85% (+.35%) Mana Efficiency .25% (+.25%) HP Regen Rate .25% (+.25%) FP Regen Rate .25% (+.25%) MP Regen Rate .5% (+.3%)
Base Strength increased to 119 (+2) Base Agility increased to 92 (+2) Base Constitution increased to 108 (+3) Base Intelligence increased to 147 (+5) Base Willpower increased to 136 (+6) Base Charisma increased to 95 (+2)
Primary Stats Strength 154 (+8) Agility 123 (+7) Constitution 150 (+12) Intelligence 281 (+31) Willpower 232 (+29) Charisma 126 (+7) Secondary Stats HP 321 (+66) FP 233 (+41) MP 1363 (+415) Mana Efficiency 1119 (+315) Crafting Efficiency 1289 (+363)
Trait Gained Inner Domain 2F: A single point within your body has formed an entire domain. The space within is cubical, with each dimension being 1 Kilometer/100 Willpower. If you are physically or spiritually connected, you may place any non-sentient material or a willing sentient being within the domain. You can summon any object from your domain into a space beside you. Moving objects in and out of your domain takes an amount of mana proportional to the mass/mana efficiency. You can view your domain by entering via a mental projection while in a state of Transcendant Meditation. All resource regeneration rates are improved by 5% while meditating.
Skill Gained Manifest Domain 2F: Create a domain within the physical world with a radius of 1 meter/willpower. You are aware of everything within your domain as if you had identified it and instinctually know exactly where everything is while it remains within your domain. You may imbue the domain with the effect of one of your spells with a 5% increase in mana efficiency. The spell will drain mana at a rate equivalent to if you were targeting a single target. You may affect any number of targets within the domain with the spell's effects at no additional cost. You can manifest a domain for 1 minute/willpower/month. This time is reduced by 10 minutes/number of usages beyond the first each time a subsequent domain is manifested within the same month.
Imri felt the Queen's mental attack intensify further. Fortunately, his improved mental stats allowed him to fend off her assault for the time being.
Imri could still feel his spiritual connection to the being inside the core and, through extension, to the core itself. He smiled as he realized that was enough to meet the prerequisite of one of his new abilities. He attempted to put the entire core into his Inner Domain with a mental command. The core vanished instantly, leaving the expansive cavern devoid of anything.
The core now claimed most of the space within his Inner Domain, which rested at an infinitely small point within his physical body. With nothing tethering his mental projection to this physical space, Imri’s mental projection dissipated rapidly as his consciousness returned to his physical body.
Enraged by Imri’s actions, the Queen launched one final mental attack before Imri’s consciousness had fully left. She was no longer trying to subvert or control him. Instead, she lashed out with an intent to inflict as much mental damage as possible.
White hot pain erupted into Imri’s mind like a spike being driven into his skull. He imagined this is how it would have felt to have an aneurysm. His mind defended itself by shutting down, and everything faded to black.