Of course, if I kill enough undead then that number will go up, but not by too much. While I am confident I can kill the undead fast enough to make a difference, the problem is the energy. Even just storing fifty energy is painful, what am I going to do with hundreds?

If the goddesses don't want any more after this, then I will have to stop killing the undead. That answer I will get soon enough, and I will decide what to do then. For now I just focus on getting the rest of the energy for Krenocia.

"Krenocia, I have the rest of the energy."

Krenocia appears almost before I finish speaking and once again she completely rocks my world. The kiss feels like it lasts forever, but at the same time it is over all too fast. When she pulls away, Krenocia also gives off a thunderclap as she ranks up.

"Do the two of you need time, or can we chat in the soulscape right away?"

Krenocia says "We can chat now."

She gives me an odd look before she disappears and I quickly move away from the mountain. Once I leave the area covered by the ice and find a safeish spot I sit down. Then I create a soulscape with comfy chairs and lots of snacks before inviting the two of them.

"Thanks for coming so quickly. First off, how are you two feeling?"

Seronia says "I feel amazing!"

Krenocia says "It feels really good to be as strong as I used to be!"

"That's good! So, do you need more Origin Energy?"

Seronia says "We would need to wait at least a couple of years before we could safely absorb more."

Krenocia says "While it would be nice to continue to power up, my sister is right. Why do you ask?"

"Because there are still a lot more undead to kill. What am I supposed to do with the energy? Is it something I can use?"

Seronia says "To be honest, we don't know. In fact, we didn't really use the energy so much as absorb its power."

Krenocia says "We don't really know much about the beginning of time. A few stories told by older gods is about all."

"Am I allowed to experiment with it then?"

Krenocia says "I don't like it, but there is no other way to figure anything out. Your soul is very fragile, you will need to be extremely careful."

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Wait, could Origin Energy be used to heal my soul?!"

Seronia says "Yes, in theory it could. However, trying to do so without understanding how the energy works could easily destroy your soul."

Krenocia says "Anything that involves modifying the soul is extremely dangerous. Please don't attempt it unless you are sure you know what you are doing!"

"Krenocia, I never know what I am doing!"

Krenocia says "Then don't go messing with your soul!"

Seronia says "Sister, haven't you learned by now that telling Ash not to do something almost guarantees he will do it!"

Krenocia says "Alright, fine! At least try to be careful!"

"Don't worry. I won't mess with my soul unless I think I have a good chance to succeed. Come to think of it, I don't even know how to see my soul. Is there a trick to it?"

Seronia says "Not a trick, but a technique. I can teach it to you."

Krenocia says "If you don't teach it to him he won't be able to mess with his soul!"

Seronia says "Not true, he will find his own way. By teaching him I can at least be sure he is doing it right. That will give him the best chance to not die!"

Krenocia says "Yeah, maybe."

Krenocia leaves quickly after that, but Seronia stays and teaches me the technique. It is actually really annoying, it is basically like trying to cross your eyes and read a book. The first few times I try it all I get for my efforts is a massive headache.

Seronia sticks around and continues coaching me until I have the technique down. When I can finally see my own soul I realize how lucky I am to still be alive. It looks like a glass orb that has had a bite taken out of it and what is left is covered in cracks.

It seriously looks like a single flick of a finger would shatter it into a billion pieces. It is no wonder that the goddesses are so worried about me messing with it. The cracks are all jagged and rough, showing no signs of healing whatsoever.

Maybe it really will take hundreds of years for it to heal normally, not that I plan to wait. For now, the first order of business is to experiment with the Origin Energy and see what I can learn. If I can learn how to use it, only then will I worry about what I can do with it.

Seronia says "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Oh, yeah actually. If I was dead and you had my soul, how would you go about healing it?"

Seronia gives me an odd look but then goes on to describe the healing process. She explains the whole thing in detail and then answers all of my questions. Once she is done and I have no more questions, she gives me a long kiss before disappearing.

It makes me wonder if this is going to be a thing now, or if she is just still excited by gaining power. If it is the latter I am not too worried, but if it is the former things could get complicated. I find myself conflicted, I am not sure which situation I want to be true.

Maybe it would be for the best if after this situation is done I avoid seeing them for a while. That idea kind of feels like running away from the problem, but I can't think of a better idea. That is something I can worry about after the current situation is over.

For now I end the soulscape and go looking for an undead to beat down. Once I have an Origin Energy point I gate back to the cave only to find Brightfire and Nala still asleep. It feels like forever since I left the cave after dinner, but it has only been about eight hours.

Since they are still sleeping I sit down and enter into my meditation to take a look at the Origin Energy. To my surprise I find it floating inside my meditation room, meaning it is stored in my head. Or inside my psyche to be more precise, which is certainly a unique experience for me.

That should mean that the Origin Energy is more closely related to mental power than magic. If that is the case then it should react to manipulation via metal strength. To test my theory I start doing small experiments to see if the energy will react.