Meelara got a fire going quickly, as Selene sat and watched. They’d found a small crevice in the mountainside, in which they set up camp. It was cramped, damp, and dark, but it wound slightly around and was deep enough that no one should be able to see the light from the fire. The smell of the smoke and such was another matter, but they could only do so much.
Meelara sat down as the crackling sounds of burning wood sounded through the space, filling it with a pleasant scent and heat. She looked at Selene, who sat with her back against the wall, fiddling with the cloak.
“Alright,” Meelara started. “Let’s talk about shielding, or veiling your Spirituality.”
Selene immediately looked up and met Meelara’s eyes.
“Yes!” she thought as a smile bloomed. She nodded.
“It’s not something you’re going to learn to do tonight,” Meelara pressed, smiling crookedly. “But, we can lay the foundations. After that, you should focus on levelling up. I’ll take a watch, but after tonight, I will need some rest as well, so you’ll have to be able to take a watch, and I have to trust that you can handle yourself. For that, you need to get stronger.”
“Right,” Selene nodded and lowered her gaze, frowning. “I’ll do my best!”
“Good,” Meelara smiled gently and moved to face her, leaning against the wall opposite Selene. “So, the first thing you’re going to do is clear your mind. Close your eyes, and take deep, calm breaths. It’ll be similar to how you would enter your inner space. As you do this, you should circulate your Spirituality, and try to visualize it. Once you manage this part, and maintain it, I’ll tell you the next step. Don’t worry if you can’t do it tonight. It’s not a simple process.”
Selene nodded and closed her eyes. She did as told, and breathed deeply, trying to emulate the feeling of sinking into herself she had when she first found the inner space. She started to circulate her Spirituality and attempted to visualize, but nothing happened for the first hour.
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Meelara was sitting by the fire, facing the exit to the crevice when she heard Selene scramble behind her. She turned around to see a wide-eyed, and grinning woman leaning forward. Meelara couldn’t help but frown.
“What?” she asked. Selene looked toward her, still with the same grin. “No… No way! You didn’t?!”
“Almost,” Selene breathed. “I think… There were some flashes, and moving lights, but that was all.”
Meelara sat stumped, before she laughed, and shook her head.
“Alright, then,” she sighed. “You’re on the right path, and far faster than I expected… In any case, you shouldn’t push too much. Take a rest, eat some food, and focus on levelling up. Then get some sleep.”
“Yes,” Selene nodded and settled back. “OK.”
She quickly reached the same, calm state as before, but this time she fell deeper, and quickly reached the Inner Space.
The fog was dense around her, but it looked like it had been pushed back somewhat. The bridge was still the same as last time, and nothing else was visible around her.
“The fog pushing back could be an indication of my potential growing after fighting the tracker squad’s leader. I don’t think I received anything from the lizard, but it’s not impossible,” Selene pondered as she looked around. “So, I can assume that the fog will be pushed back until I’ve reached my potential, or until I can see something related to my Stage advancement trial. At least I think that’s right, based on what Meelara said.”
She inspected the bridge and quickly noticed a worrying detail. The bricks she’d laid before showed cracks. It almost looked like they were about to break apart.
“Didn’t I reinforce those?” Selene frowned. “What’s going on? Uhh… Is there a chance it’s due to my injuries, or maybe just a result of my training? As I train, and learn about myself, and my fighting abilities, flaws in my foundations become more apparent, perhaps? But, how should I fix this? Do I just funnel more of the Spirituality-infused fog into them?”
She stood, silently pondering for a while before she shook her head.
“I can either leave this space, and ask Meelara, or I can take a chance, and try.”
In the end, she decided on the latter and started drawing the fog back in. She compressed it while reflecting on the fight against the Unbear, the tracker, her training with Meelara, and the fight against the lizard.
“I need to be stronger, faster, and focus on my surroundings,” she realised. “But, I also need to get better at fighting, perhaps gain a skill…”
She looked at the three fiery lights around her and had a thought.
“Can I infuse the fog with the energy from the skills?”
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She reached out and drew the three lights closer. With a push of her will the three lights started spinning, and three streams of energy flowed from them into a central orb of swirling light. She started guiding the fog through this point, and then into the bricks at her feet. As the fog passed through, it pulled some of the energy from the skills with it and infused the bricks. After a brief shimmer, the bricks settled into their normal, dark grey, colour.
A smile spread on Selene’s face, and she scrambled into motion, funneling the fog through the skills, and shaping the bricks with glee.
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Meelara sat by the fire, watching, when the fire started to flicker, and the shadows lengthened and squirmed on the walls. It looked as if they were alive, and had a mind of their own. At the same time, she could faintly hear whispers and quiet moans reverberating around her. The hair at the back of her neck stood on end as the temperature dropped significantly.
She looked behind her, toward the calm face of Selene with wide eyes.
“What is she doing?” Meelara muttered, frowning. “Is she infusing her skills into her foundation already? But, that’s supposed to be almost impossible at her Stage…”
She kept muttering to herself for a while before she caught herself.
“Gah!” she shook her head, causing her hair to fly around her face. “Talking to myself again. I need to stop that… Ahhh!”
She wrapped a blanket she’d gotten around her, tightly, and returned her attention to the exit.
She would shudder from time to time, from the sounds, sights, and chill around her that seemed to grow worse as time passed.
She had to use her Spirituality to keep the fire going several times as she waited for Selene to finish.
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Selene left the Inner Space feeling deeply satisfied, only to find her eyes stuck together. A sound of cracking sounded as she moved her hand up to her face, and she felt a slippery smooth surface instead of her skin. It was hard and cold. Selene had to use some force to break the surface and allow her eyes to open.
She blinked rapidly and looked at her body. More cracking sounded, and she felt something shift on her neck. Finally looking down, she saw her body covered in a layer of clear blueish-white ice. Her surroundings were covered in a similar sheen of rime, and she saw Meelara sitting some distance away, huddling under a blanket next to the fire that looked to be on its last legs.
Meelara was looking toward her, and Selene noticed the frost covering Meelara’s face, and eyebrows.
Selene’s eyes widened as she took in the scene.
“What happened?” she asked, grimacing.
“You used your skills as you built your foundation, didn’t you?” Meelara asked with chattering teeth.
“Uhm, yeah?” Selene said, her voice quieting. “Did that do this?”
“Haah,” Meelara sighed, and nodded slightly. “Yeah… That happens if you can’t veil your Spirituality. Never expected you to be able to do that, since it’s usually available in late Stage 2, at the earliest.”
Meelara rubbed her arms and frowned while looking at the fire. The dying embers surged with heat, and the fire started blazing again.
“I’ve got to stop underestimating you,” Meelara shook her head with a rueful expression. “Alright… So, what you did is usually something reserved for the Candidates.”
“Candidates?” Selene asked as she shifted closer to the fire and warmed her hands. The ice was melting quickly, leaving her soaked.
“Yeah,” Meelara frowned, apparently thinking deeply. “They’re the ones chosen by the System for some purpose, I think… Some think they have the potential and the System just aids them, or something. This is deep Systemic Theory, which is not my forté. My knowledge is more on surface stuff, the practical things, you know? Anyway, everyone who gains a Dominion, or even a Divinity has been a Candidate.”
“So,” Selene frowned, rubbing her hands together. “You’re telling me that I can become a God?”
“Ah, well,” Meelara shifted her head back and forth. “Yes, but no. You might have the potential, but all I know is that it’s not set in stone. I know the System will throw challenges at you, and going under the radar of the disciples of Life will be near impossible now… It’s going to be much harder, but the rewards are similarly better.”
“OK, so,” Selene shuddered. “I’ll be facing challenges, more than normal, and the System will make things more difficult?”
“In a way yes,” Meelara nodded. “You’re a Candidate, and a Candidate must be tested.”
Selene fell silent, furrowing her brows and gazing into the fire. Meelara shifted in her position as she looked at her companion and mentee.”
“Don’t worry,” Meelara assured her. “I’m with you. To be honest, I’m even more invested now. If you can gain that kind of power then you can enact true change in the Multiverse. Gods have immense power, and some suspect they can even influence the System.”
“Influence the System?” Selene’s eyes snapped up to meet Meelara’s. She saw the smile on her face, and couldn’t help but smile widely herself. “I can stop the System from treating newly Integrated as they did with us?”
“Yes!” Meelara exclaimed before her expression dropped and she furrowed her brows. “At least, I think so. Only the Gods know the full powers they have, so I can’t really say, but historically, I think there have been great changes in the System after each God’s ascension.”
“Alright,” Selene nodded several times. “Alright, then that settles it! I’ll do anything in my power to achieve it. I’ll fight, and I’ll fight. I’ll break any, and all resistance in my way! Will you help me, Meelara?”
Meelara grinned, clasped a fist, and placed it over her heart.
“I will!” she said. “I will stand with you, and guide you for as long as you need it. All I ask is that you help me in return.”
Selene’s expression froze as the fervour in her heart faded. Meelara’s expression fell as she didn’t receive an immediate response.
Selene shook her head before she smiled at her mentor.
“Of course,” Selene said. “Sorry, I just froze for a second. I was expecting something like this. You know, it was hard to trust you, and I’ve felt like I was taking a huge risk up until now, just following and listening to you.”
Meelara didn’t say anything, but Selene saw her eyes fall, and her lips turned into a thin line.
“I’ve hadn’t had any good experiences with the Invaders,” Selene continued. “It was difficult to believe you’d help me without anything in return… Strangely enough, knowing you might have had another motive is comforting. Of course, I’ll help you. As long as I have the power to.”
Meelara sighed, and her expression shifted into a small smile.
“You’ve helped me out, taught me things, and saved my life,” Selene expressed her gratitude. “Thank you.”