As though she were feeling a bubbling deep inside of her, Bella felt as though her fears were being washed away. Around her, the dark just outside the reach of the torchlight ceased to have a menacing appearance.

Though there was still a feeling of danger, it wasn't an overwhelming feeling as it had felt for hours, possibly even days.

"I don't understand what's happening. It's as if I'm somehow changing, completely different from getting strong by killing monsters." Bella lifted up a hand and stared at it.

It felt as though something was growing inside of her, which made her feel a sense of security and comfort. "Is this from the voice?"

Being someone who had developed a sense of flexibility to changing elements during a mission, Bella had a burning desire to understand what was occurring. The unknown was always a thing to avoid when facing the threat of combat.

Relying on her upbringing, Bella closed her eyes and slowly tried to meditate. It was a skill she always practiced, even as a child. Being able to calm the mind was essential to be able to see the overall objective clearly. This meant she would often meditate during missions when the time was available.

For a while, in the dark, she could only hear the soft breathing of her subordinates and the crackling of the flames. Slowly, as her consciousness delved into herself, she felt as though she were floating in a void. Even inside of the void, Bella felt a soft connection to the material world. Bella would be able to quickly return to the material world at the drop of a hat and allowed her to sense her surroundings for danger.

Taking time, an image of herself began to form. It reminded her of the times she would go boating and dive into the deep and dark ocean of her native lands. Aside from her form, the rest of the world was dark, the occasional fleck of light floating by as though bubbles of memories rising to the surface.

The infrequent lights were different, not something she remembered from past experiences. It was something mysterious and made her wonder what had changed and if it was connected to whoever contact her.

"I need to dive deeper," A thought crossed her mind.

Gracefully reaching towards her toes, Bella pointed her fingers downwards and kicked with her legs. It was a motion she had repeated numerous times when diving without equipment. Though this time, there wasn't the sensation of having to hold her breath.

Methodically kicking her legs and going deeper, the bubbles of light became more frequent. Instead of feeling the typical cooling sensation of the void, the light felt warm.

Keeping her eyes looking forward, she kept going in the same direction. "The further I go, the more it feels like I'm supposed to approach it. Like a home, I hadn't visited in a long time." Gaining more confidence, she picked up the pace and moved her legs faster.

Slowly, a faint light was seen. "What is that?" Her mouth slightly opened in wonder.

The closer she reached the light, a sense of strength soaked into her body. Bella didn't consciously recognize the development. What she desired was to find out what the light ahead held.

As if the environment had changed, each stroke of her long legs corresponded to an increase in the temperature. It wasn't long before she realized things had changed. Soon the temperature reached a point where she was unable to continue.

Bella's skin felt as though she was close to a large bonfire. The heat acted as an invisible barrier preventing her from proceeding further. Ahead of her, the light only became slightly stronger and signified how far away it was.

Even if the heat felt a little uncomfortable, the sensation was similar to the warmth felt after a good work out and stepping into the cold night air.

Twisting her body, Bella returned to her standing position, stopping herself from proceeding and not allowing the mysterious sensation from becoming unbearable and painful. Deep down, she knew if she were to force her way forward, it would be reckless and dangerous.

Floating in the void, she looked around and saw more balls of light floating around her. Reaching out to touch one of the orbs, her hand closed around the nearest one to her.

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"It feels like touching a lightbulb recently turned off. There's a feeling of warmth but not scalding to the flesh." Bella brought her hand close and opened it so she could see the light closer.

Compared to when she started, the light was the size of a marble. It was comparably larger. Before she could wonder what it was, the light slowly merged into her hand, making her eyes widen in surprise.

Initially surprised, the feeling coming from the light going into her body wasn't unpleasant. "How is this making any sense? I've never seen this before..."

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt her body changing inside.

Wanting to repeat the experience, not thinking the event was harmful, Bella reached for another ball of light floating close by. This time, instead of waiting, she tried to absorb the essence.

A sigh escaped her lips. It was like drinking the purest water after being thirsty. Realizing something was happening, she reached out to another one. This time, her eyes noticed it float towards her before she was able to grasp it.

Blinking, "Did it come towards me?"

Feeling something flow inside of her body again, Bella turned her head to a cluster of lights. Not wanting to waste any time, instead of reaching out, her thoughts were directed to compelling the light to float towards her. When the cluster moved slowly, she could feel a sense of accomplishment. Seeing the success, Bella made her thoughts stronger in hopes of making the cluster reach her faster.

As the cluster began to pick up speed, some lights nearby gravitated to the passing cluster. The degree of lights being affected wasn't significant but made her wonder if she could repeat it.

Putting effort into increasing the number of lights being dragged to her, she frowned when nothing happened.

The disappointment of being unable to draw in more was soon forgotten as the mass of light soaked into her skin. Instead of the sensation of taking a sip of refreshing water, the experience was vastly different. It was as though her entire body was being hydrated. No longer did she feel any fatigue from being unable to sleep for hours and fighting the monsters.

Holding up both hands to see herself, confusion filled her mind upon seeing her body having a slight glow.

"What's happening to me?" Bella couldn't help but wonder. "It feels as though I'm overflowing with energy as though I've become stronger than I could imagine." Looking back to her experiences working as a covert agent, protecting the interests of Pentasoft, Bella remembered moments when she was close to death. For some reason, in her mind, those experiences felt harmless. Just like when she thought about how much she struggled during training after working in the field for years as a mature agent.

Wanting to increase the feeling, Bella quickly searched for the lights floating by. When she tried to compel them towards her, like before, there was no reaction. Reaching out her hand, she worked harder as though it was the most important thing in her life. Once again, none of the light reacted.

Trying to swim towards the lights, she was clueless as to why they felt as though they were fading away before she was able to reach them. Spinning around, the intensity of lights floating around her never changed, but she was unable to gather more.

Instead of fighting what was happening, Bella stopped and decided to focus on her body. "I need to figure out what this means," Bella thought about the sensation.

Staring at her glowing hands, she thought about making them glow brighter. Just the thought was all that was needed before the intensity increased.

As she grinned, having accomplished such a small task, it soon faded, matching the decrease of the light.

No longer did her body feel stronger, returning to her original state. Like a match, the glow disappeared, and she started from the beginning.

No understanding the connection, Bella looked back at the light floating around her in the void. Hesitatingly, she reached out to the light and willed for them to come closer.