Once I’ve finished the process of leveling up my friends and minions, the to do list for the day becomes dramatically shorter. Cain and Kite don’t have any skills to pick out or worry over, and Sigil has already displayed a penchant for autonomy where the system is concerned. They won’t require any more help from me today. With my concerns and stressors at least partially abated, I can focus my full attention on a few final tests and experiments before I leave the village.
Sigil wanders off, likely to pick out their new skills, and I settle into a seat here in the cellar to test out my new skills. Namely I want to learn all I can about [Soul Healing], [Memory Therapy], and [Curse of Pain]. Once I’ve finished those I plan to move on to some less pressing experiments with spellforms and the access errors I experienced previously.
My first attempt is with soul healing.
Soul Healing - Healing Skill - Hybrid
User gains minor soul sight.
User passively regenerates soul based damage.
User may spend mana to form raw Aether.
User may spend Aether to accelerate regeneration of soul matrix.
At this point I think I’ve already dabbled in the ‘minor soul sight’ already. When I tried inspecting myself through [Blessing of Mana], I had intended to use the mana senses to learn more about my core. The vision I saw must have been a version of soul sight, as the line between soul and mana is already thin. I don’t know what else I could do to test out such a niche skill, I don’t even know what soul sight really means. None of the divination spells I can recall are similar enough I feel confident assuming.
For now, it might be best to simply meditate again with intention focused on both [Blessing of Mana] and [Soul Healing]. Retaking a seat on the ground, I assume the most comfortable posture I can, placing my back against the cellar wall. I don’t know how long this will take, best plan for the worst.
With a single deep breath, I close my eyes and focus my intent inwards. Feeling the latent mana in the air flow through my lungs, into my blood, and swirling towards my core. I follow the gentle stream of energy through every inch of my body, swiftly spiraling towards my heart.
The image I find once my senses adjust to the blinding mass of energy is different this time. The kaleidoscope of color and light is very much still present, and I can sense the immense power through [Blessing of Mana], but now there’s more depth to it, as if what I saw before was a flattened projection. The aid of my soul sight shows me the fractalling patterns of self and experience. The infinite series of recursion where my experiences shape me and I in turn shape my experiences. It is beautiful to behold, and intimidating.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
At this moment I am overwhelmed. The true form of a soul is awe inspiring in the most literal sense, and holds massive implications for the true nature of the system itself, mana, and the divine.
I will need to study it more in depth once I am certain it is safe, for now I would not risk further damaging my soul. The initial shock and distraction passes quickly enough, and I refocus my attention inwards to the soul itself. The second portion of my [Soul Healing] skill says that damage would be passively regenerated, but I can’t tell what is or isn’t damage after only seeing myself through soul sight once. As I linger in this state and watch my core closely though, I get the feeling that the two somewhat disparate regions of color are slowly intermingling more. The structure is becoming more unified.
It’s a difficult sensation to quantify, but the feeling is there regardless.
The active portion of the skill description is what I’m most excited about currently. Activating a new skill is like using a limb you didn’t know you had. It feels natural the moment you finally get it, but until then you’re never quite sure you’re doing it right. The promise of Aether creation is enticing enough to keep me motivated though.
I’m not entirely sure how to expend my mana to create a resource I’ve never interacted with before, and it takes me several minutes of blindly floundering before I make any substantial progress. Eventually, while focusing on the feeling of my soul and the core of my being, I press my mana reserves outwards as if to cast a spell. Then with great effort I have to direct that outward flow back towards my core in a spiraling loop, focusing all the intent I can muster on a vague concept of Aether.
When it takes, it takes all at once, and my mana pool drops precipitously. A seering pain builds in my chest, warning me of the quickly growing mana burns of over-use. Thankfully I wrest control back before my mana pool empties completely, and I don’t have to grapple with a full backlash. Still, it is intimidating to see my newly increased mana pool drained so completely so quickly.
As my mana pool quickly begins to fill back up, I cast my senses back down into meditation. The system won’t quantify Aether for me, so I need ot learn to get a feel for it manually. Gazing over my core again, there seems to be a form of loose haze around the edges of my perception. In the maelstrom of color and light that is my soul, this clear mist stands out like a beacon in the night. The volume is paultry though. A drop in the ocean of energy that makes up my core.
The final line of my skill description says I can expend this loose Aether to accelerate the healing of my soul. Pressing my intent on the misty energy forces it to flow towards the core itself. I watch with rapt attention as it seeps into the cracks of my soul, solidifying into the colorful glassy patterns of my self. The restoration is miniscule, barely perceptable with the twisting scale of my core. At this rate it will take me years to fully undo the damage. My future level ups will thankfully increase my mana pool, but this is a daunting task regardless.
I rise from my meditation as my mana pool finishes regenerating, glancing around the cellar and trying to gather how much time has passed. Judging by the light creeping in from the closed door, it has been a few hours at least.
Sigil wanders over in their newly enlarged form and announces “I have finished choosing my skills for now. I have chosen skills that resonate with your natural elements as well as my own. We can discuss them at a later date. For now I wish to test my abilities. I will return before the morning.”
Anger boils in my chest, and I feel the desire to curse at the shadow black cat as it stalks away, but at the same time I’m grateful for Sigil’s assistance and consideration of our agreement. I can’t force the spirit to do anything they don’t want to. Not yet at least.