When Viers woke up from his much-needed rest, it was still dark outside. He reached out for the watch beside him, it was midnight.

I made it! I made my Intio! Yes… I can feel it, I must see it immediately.

Viers forced down his excitement and turned his attention to inside his body, to the realm of consciousness. He started his usual posture of meditation, sat on the bed with legs crossed. Viers knew it was not necessary, he could feel that he could go into the realm of consciousness as easily as turning his hand yet he meditated, he was already so used to it that the act of meditation felt natural for him. His mind started to go deeper into himself, it was a weird feeling, like jumping into a pool of water, and below the waterline was another world. When he opened his eyes, he was in a strange place.

Black space, all around him was darkness, in front of him exist an object. That object was not shining nor emitting light but Viers could see it clearly despite the darkness. He looked at himself, he was floating in this space, he raised his hand in front of his face and like the object, he too could see his own body clearly despite no source of light around him.

This is my consciousness? Just blackness and darkness? Kinda gloomy isn't it, me? I admit my mind won't be filled with sunshine or fields of flowers as far as the eye can see but this…? Well, whatever… that must be my Intio then, let’s see it then.

He floated closer to it, It was an octahedron object, like two pyramids joined at the flat side. Its appearance was like glass, water-blue colored glass. It was as big as the head of the current him, silently floating, unmoving.

My Intio… not sure what to make of this. No any WOW factor to be sure, it's made of glass?

He tried to pull it with his hands but it didn't budge an inch.

Oh? There’s something inside… a flower? That flower!

It was the flower that saved his life, true to his memories, it resembled White Camellia, the center of the flower emitted a faint golden glow. Viers didn't know how or why, only that the flower turned to ash when he saw it again. The flower was encased in the octahedron.

Hmnnn, I’m really curious about this… Is it still alive? Or it exists in my consciousness because the flower was engraved in my mind? Will this thing possessed me or going to control my thoughts?

Alright… in this kind of pattern, the flower is usually still alive, after I get stronger to a certain level, the flower will gain or regain consciousness and talk to me. It will be a she, she will form a pixie-like body so adorably cute that makes my heart all warm and mellow and soft like a marshmallow then eventually, can go outside my mind. She will be the chipper and energetic type with a childlike innocence that all novel readers and moviegoers can't help but want to protect and cuddle the adorable palm sized thing… should I think about her name now?

I wager 10 gold it would come to that… it wasn't bad per se, she will have some unique ability that will help me greatly on the road, she will serve as a soothing element during the grim and gritty part of my journey, the people in my party will go oooh and aaah when they saw her like she is the cutest thing they ever saw, especially the girls…

That’s what the Spring of Wisdom told me, the truth remains to be seen. Whatever happens, it will benefit me, if it doesn't benefit me or harm me in any way… I will throw it away, simple as that. Hmph, people tend to complicate things, I like things to be simple. Trouble in your path? Hit it until it breaks then step on it then continue your journey. Sadly that line of thinking won’t work on Earth, but here… He he he.

When Viers was daydreaming and making predictions of the future, something happened. From the bottom tip of the octahedron fell something wet, Viers looked at it closer, it was a drop of water. The water stopped falling at the distance of one meter from the Intio. The drop of water stayed stationary.

“This isn't your pee, am I right flower?” He said while looking at the encased flower, after no answer came, he continued analyzing it. He looked closely at the bottom pointy tip of his two-pyramid-glued-at-the-bottom shaped Intio, but he didn’t find any opening that could allow a drop of water passed, the flower was encased completely from all direction, it was airtight. The drop of water simply appeared out of nowhere and fell below.

That, must be my Victa… It has the form of water, I will gain it one drop at a time… is this good? How can I calculate the quality and quantity if all Victa have different forms for everyone? It seems, I can only test it myself, finds out how much a drop of this can fuel my spells and other things.

Viers looked around him once more. After he made sure he didn't miss anything, he returned to deep thought.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Well that's enough for investigation for my Intio and Victa for the time being, now… how should I control my mutation with this? Mmm, I’m in my mind, so maybe I can make things happened because I simply thought about it…? Let’s test it out, sword!

Viers imagined the shape of a sword, simple iron sword, the hilt, the blade, the dimension, the material, every tiny bit, Viers imagined it as clear as he could. When Viers opened his eyes, nothing appeared, no sword in his hand.

Bleh, did I think too highly of my mind? This IS my realm of consciousness right? Why I can’t make a sword simply appear? Tsk, how annoying… Okay, time to go old school… eastern mysticism! Never underestimate the potential of human body, let alone human mind!

The Viers inside his consciousness realm sat on the spot, although because he was already floating, only the posture of his body changed. He sat legs crossed, back straight, both of his hands on his knee facing upwards.

Its time I use my secret weapon… I’m gonna use the force! Yes, THAT force! Or whatever force that exists in this world, just let me control my mutation! O great force of the universe… I channel you to give me the power over my mind and body… breathe in… breathe out… the force is with me… me is with the force… the force is with me… me is with the force…

Viers was calming his mind, he tried to go somewhere deeper even though he already was inside his realm of consciousness. The Viers in the real world was meditating, the Viers inside the realm of consciousness also meditating. He was meditating inside his own meditation.

He imagined himself, his own body, his imperfect physique, his chubby belly, his limbs, his face, all the little detail.

The sword projection failed, because that’s creating something out of nothing, that reasoning might be right, might be wrong, but… what if I project myself? I am already here after all, I am my own self, in my own realm of consciousness no less, isn’t this the place where those on Earth seek to reach enlightenment? Maybe I’m wrong about the enlightenment part since I haven’t reached enlightenment myself but as long as it works, I don’t care.

He imagined himself in front of him, translucent, like an astral projection, he watched too many movies about this, he referenced many great works from various examples, Viers could imagine an astral projection very vividly.

Please work, please, please, please…

Viers opened his eyes slowly, he saw his own body. This body was glowing faintly with a yellowish light, floating in the darkness with the posture of standing upright, its eyes were closed and no sign of breathing, it was naked.

“Gweheheh, it works! Damn, I’m awesome! Bwahahaha!”

Viers was so happy that he let out a vulgar laugh while shaking his hips left and right like a dog wagging its tail. The silly dance lasted for exactly 7 seconds. Viers calmed down and examined his astral projection.

I looked handsome… alright, alright, not handsome at all… That’s my face while sleeping? The owner of this face looks like a dumbo… and that belly too, and that THING that exist bellow that!

Euuurrggghh, I got shivers, what a disturbing thought... I better stop looking at my ugly reflection and focused on the important part… Alrighty then, mutation, mutation, how do I control mutation? Hmn, I don’t know, how should I do this? Okay, baby steps then, first order of business, observe, can I observe this projection body closely? Look at the inside?

Viers tried to peer to the inside of the projection's body, he didn’t know how or why but the skin of the astral projection turned transparent, he could see himself without his own skin, with all the red-pink muscles were in plain view, it was a ghastly sight.

Whoa, that’s neat, is that my muscles then? Creepy, time to look at something else!

The muscles disappeared and he could see his organs, the astral projection looked like a very real anatomy doll often found in biology class, his heart was not beating and his lungs were still as stone.

Can I make it move? Hummmph, mind power!

Viers concentrated and willed his organs to move, the organs were suddenly alive, his heart was visibly beating, his lungs expanded and contracted regularly, his other organs were also appeared to be in good working order.

Good, good, let’s look at something else, change!

The projection turned into a skeleton, Viers anticipated this, he moved his right hand. At the same time, the projection skeletal right hand also moved.

So this is not a mirror image, alright, now what should I look next? Bloodstream? Wait! How about… Manastream? Can I see the Mana flowing inside my body? Or as Nakala said was it a mist filling my body? Or since all the Mana already condensed to my Intio I can only see my Intio now? Hurrrmph, change!

The projection turned into a vague empty shape of a man, like someone drew a human-shaped picture on a piece of paper, only for Viers's case, it was floating before him and in 3D. That empty man was still glowing with faint yellowish light that made up its shape, which helped Viers’s sight to make out its form more clearly. Inside that empty man shape, there was a small octahedron in the center of his chest.

Very nice, it’s going smoothly so far, so that’s my Manastream layer… right, I’m going to call this type of vision ‘layer’ because it’s like the Photoshop! Hmm, my Mana department is empty as hell, zip, nada, blank slate, only that Intio in the middle. My Victa was so small and I can’t see it from here… oh well, let’s leave it at that for now, what’s next?

Look at my genetics? How the hell would I do that? And even if I can see something that small, what I’m going to do to it? Can I even do anything to it? Mnnn… let’s see, what can I look next… right, I should approach this from the other side. Leave all the layer on, then take out the ones I know, layer by layer, piece by piece. Sounds like a plan! Muummmhh, change!

The projection returned to normal state, with all flesh and skin visible on the outside. Viers removed the skin, blood, muscles, nerves, bones, everything that he could recognize or vaguely recognize, he tried to look at something unknown, something unrevealed, something hidden, something secret. He peeled his body piece by piece like peeling an onion.

“What… is that?”