Required components detected within the User's Soul Well. Do you wish to proceed with this mutation? Estimated time to complete: 1 hour.

Of course, I do. Go on System. Do your job.

Choice Acknowledged. Beginning Mutation. Please be mindful of your body during this process. Even the lightest strain can impact this process.

Got it. Leo nodded, letting his body relax as weak prickling spread all over his unique heart. The longer it went, the more he wanted to claw at his chest, but he held back, gritting his teeth. Yeah, that's fucking uncomfortable.

Within a few minutes, the pain slowly consumed his whole body, boiling his organs, muscles, and skin. Nothing was safe from the process, not his tails or even eyelids. At times, he had to bite back a scream or a whimper as his insides twisted, their molten surfaces grazing against each other.

I swear. He gasped, claws digging into the roof. If this is how every mutation is going to feel, I won't be held responsible for my actions. This is bullshit!

Yet there was nothing Leo could do to stop it, and so for the whole hour, he lay on the roof, writhing and trembling in pain. The hot knives digging into his skin didn't give out until the last minute, leaving him gasping for air and drowning in sweat even as the process finished.

'Leo?' Nyx's voice suddenly reached his jumbled mind. 'Is everything fine? You almost completely cut off our link when the pain came.'

He groaned, climbing to his knees. Just peachy. He coughed. Sorry, I have no idea how I did that. I definitely didn't mean to. Must have been some survival instinct.

'It's fine. Don't worry about it,' the feline placated. 'I knew you were still there. I just couldn't feel what you felt.'

"Maybe that's for the best," Leo sighed, sitting cross-legged. "No reason for both of us to go through this bullshit... Speaking of. Do you feel any different? You said you're supposed to benefit from my mutations."

'Different?' Nyx hummed, pausing for a moment. 'Not quite. A little more energized might be a better way to describe it. And you?'

He scowled. "Just aching all over and feeling a bit tired, the complete opposite of you. Apart from that, Minor Regeration seems to have no obvious effects until we get hurt."

'Are you... going to test it?' The feline asked with a bit of apprehension seeping into her voice.

His eyebrows jumped up. "After what just happened?" He snorted. "Hell no. Let's put self-harm away for later… or never. I had enough pain for one day. Besides, a small wound won't cut it now. We will need something major to see how my healing factor really improved."

Nyx sighed over the link. 'As long as you don't let anything harm you on purpose, I won’t complain.'

"Your trust in me is really incredible," Leo muttered dryly. "I swear you weren't this bad a few days ago."

'You only have yourself to blame,' she practically chirped. 'You're a terrible influence. Although, memories of Nikra's complicated past and Hunter's short life might have also played a small part in this.'

"I'm sure," he grumbled, placing his hand on his knees. "Now, if you don't mind. I'll try this meditation thing again. I think I'm slowly getting somewhere."

'As you wish. I'll take a nap then. Please wake me up if you need me,' Nyx announced, promptly backing away from their link.

Right....

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Leo took a deep break, closing his eyes. Relax. Clear your mind and fill it with Essence. Focus on your soul. Use Soul Well as the blueprint.

Meditation was definitely not his forte. He just didn't know how to use it the right way, which was why he came up with his own method. A method that soon would hopefully lead him back to his soulscape. He needed to reach it; he had no other choice.

Why?

Because despite being aware of Adam resting inside his soul, he didn't know much more. The boy still slept; that was obvious. However, apart from that, Leo could only feel one other thing. And that was how his own Essence slowly fed the boy, keeping him alive with just enough energy.

He had no way to control it for now; his soul did it all on its own, unasked. At first, when he found out about this, he didn't mind. Why would he, after all?

Yet after a quick talk with Nyx, Leo realized that in the long run, this might not be so good if he didn't get this process under control. For now, his soul was only feeding the boy, but what if that changed? What if Adam awoke and started draining Essence from the inside?

He couldn't let that happen, at least not without any way to stop it. As such, he had to find a way into his soulscape. Both to investigate and to take full command of what was happening there.

Just like with the items. Pull your mind in. Slowly.

Leo already tried this last night with limited success, and it seemed not much would change today. Nonetheless, he still pushed, testing different techniques and other ways of connecting with his soul.

All this for almost nothing.

"Shit!" He hissed, eyes snapping open. "I fucking felt it. The pull is similar to what happens when I use Soul Well. But why did it fail? Again... Shit!"

As much as Leo complained, he knew what was wrong, or rather, he understood that something was missing. There was always a gap in his technique, a gap that destroyed each attempt at diving into his soul. And to make matters worse, each time, it happened at the end of the process.

"Need to switch it up," he muttered, shaking his head. "No reason to get too frustrated. I can try again later."

Decision made, he relaxed his muscles and, this time only brought out a tiny chunk of Essence into his hand. Just like he tried yesterday, he fuelled the energy with the right intent and snapped his fingers.

A spark, if he could even call it that, ignited on his claws, a sudden warmth spreading over them. Yet before it could transform into something more, the Essence flickered out, disappearing into the wind.

"At least not a total failure," Leo shrugged and tried again, switching up his intent and amount of energy with each attempt.

Some would say there was no point in what he was doing. But no one, including Nikra, ever told him that summoning base elements was impossible. He probably wouldn't be able to control them like someone with true or even false affinity, but it didn't mean he couldn't try creating at least a small flame.

Besides, even if this failed, Leo found this exercise to be an excellent way to practice his Essence control.

"Wait. I have a weapon that controls fire now. Maybe..." With a shrug, he summoned a chain-scythe into one hand while the other gathered more Essence. "Okay. And now..."

Activating ignition, he concentrated on the feeling of the fire consuming the chains. He melded it all with his own intent and snapped his fingers once more.

Wow.

A tiny flame, smaller than one usually coming from a lighter, sparked to life on his thumb. It danced there for a few seconds, growing smaller and larger, warming his hand before finally flickering out.

Yeah, another connection to fire definitely helps. Leo snorted, dismissing the weapon. He tried again then, but except for a slightly stronger spark, nothing else happened. Still better, though.

Just as he was about to practice some more, an idea came to his mind. While the Blades of Chained Inferno provided him with a weak link to fire, he possessed one more Install item. An item that, together with another mutation, gave him a connection to a much more unique affinity.

'Are you sure you want to do this?' Nyx's voice suddenly rang in his head.

"Yeah," Leo nodded without hesitation. "I know Nikra feared using it, but I can't make the same mistake. We saw what happened to her. Ending up like that just isn't in my plans."

'But do you need to do it now? Why not wait? Why not get a bit stronger?'

He shook his head. "Nyx... Stop letting Nikra's past influence you. I've been using Void affinity for quite some time now. Minor Takeover, remember? Now, I just want to go a bit further. See what I can really do."

'I...' The feline mumbled. 'I understand... Please be careful.'

As their link quietened, Leo rolled his shoulders and closed his eyes again. Essence stirred within his soul, ready for the task ahead. He could almost feel its enthusiasm as if it knew what was coming.

Not yet. He ordered, grabbing his Essence tightly. What did Nikra say about the Void? Ah, yes, it exists to only corrupt, consume, and destroy.

Well then...

A tiny smile pulled at his lips as he gave the three principles everything he had. At the same time, he summoned forth the Spark of the Void while reaching out with a small tendril of Essence towards his heart, Nikra's shard.

Show me what you got!