March 11th

It'd been entirely too late last night by the time we found Karen, so instead this morning found me flipping through a few news articles to start the morning and doing some searches in the Seeker database for anything new as well, curious as to the reactions. The dining hall was closed for the morning, probably with people recovering. I had to do with a snack out of a machine and soda before retreating back to my dorm.

My access into the database had a title change from Student to Researcher, probably Danny flagging me differently last night now that I'd signed the agreement. Which reminded me, I still needed to get that check, officially leave, and play that song and dance.

And probably talk to Dad about that job.

Mainstream media had plenty of articles about yesterday being an attack, questioning how it had happened, why, and what the response should or even could be from various governments. It really was scary that one being could reach out and touch not just you, but every person worldwide, possibly without effort.

I took a deep breath, still tasting the strange energy in the air. A blend of everything both natural and manmade.

One being, affecting everyone as a side effect of what he was really doing.

It was one thing, a very scary thing, but one thing to be able to cause every plane in the world to crash. It affected plenty of people, but it was still something visible, with a cause and effect. Plane crashed, people died. It'd even been given that as a name, "The Crash". But people worked around it. Auto-pilot on cargo planes got updated real fast and suddenly cruise ships were the hottest thing to get across the ocean.

But it was a completely other, scary and dangerous thing for an intangible voice to hurt you and everyone you knew. There was no arm to claw against, no person to beg mercy from.

I started getting into more of the articles with estimates of death tolls. The Crash had been estimated to kill between eight and nine million people. A big number, but a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the world population.

This though? Several articles were playing fast and loose with numbers, but there were a lot of common guesses.

Anyone in delicate surgery for that almost two minute long window? Assumed lost on the table.

Incapable of holding your breath for at least ninety seconds? There were reports of seizures and aneurysms. There were guesses of ninety percent of the over seventy population didn't make it out without some direct effect.

That wasn't even including all the people driving in the middle of the day. Massive car crashes as people blindly flailed.

Estimates ranged from a hundred million to eight hundred million dead yesterday. Didn't initial estimates usually get revised higher from disasters?

Morbidly and slightly afraid, I used the Seeker's search engine to find any more precise information. There were plenty of articles about the elderly, about people already in high risk jobs. Someone had to have checked, wrote articles on...

An article about NICU patients, one there about a maternity ward. Raw numbers probably misposted from Children's Hospital of Atlanta.

Babies up to around fifteen months. No issues. The maternity ward article even had a video of a nurse nearly falling over but the babies around her with no problems. Why?

But it looked like any child older than that had the same issues as anyone else. Could the kid hold their breath long enough?

The search popped up another article, released less than an hour ago. This one had a possible answer. Babies didn't understand language.

I pushed the tablet away. Yesterday was like ashes now. It had been quiet, but I hadn't seen anyone truly hurt. Even the Seekers who had taken bigger damage from it, were still alive. Injured in a way no one really knew of, but generally alright.

But that was a lie. College students, by and large? In the age range and health category to probably be fine if they weren't doing anything else dangerous. Karen had been a wreck last night when Melissa and I had found her. I wonder if she did find someone hurt or dead.

I'd let the repercussions slide off of me, because it hadn't actually affected me. I'd managed to talk Mike through it.

Oh god. What if I hadn't managed to yell at the alien somehow? I'd been the fourth and he hadn't said what number Melissa was, but could everyone not on the 'true path' have died yesterday?

The room spun for a moment, and I put my head down. Deep breaths as I felt my own dantian spinning on a wobbly tilt as well before settling after long moments of trying to not hyper ventilate.

No, the world soul would have awakened and the alien would have quit pushing people regardless. I might have saved some, but it wouldn't have been everyone dying.

"What did a hundred million lives buy? What is the strength of the world's soul?" I whispered.

The world's [dantian] is lit. The first step on the path to its Heavenly Realm has been taken.

The words scraped against me, echoed into me through my own dantian. I could feel the extra meaning behind dantian, visualization of my own, but there was a lot missing. Things I didn't know and couldn't grasp right now. There had to be more meaning behind Heavenly Realm as well, but I had no understanding of it at all.

I might have been spending a lot of time on researching this recently, but it was the interest of a new hobby. I cycled my energy, feeling it from my dantian into the pool of my first breakthrough and the forward again to yet another pool. A second breakthrough, done while basically screaming into the void. I hadn't ended up covered in gunk yesterday thankfully, but it felt shallow, weak.

The energy flowed and followed its own path back. At least it didn't hurt anymore unlike yesterday.

"How far is the Heavenly Realm?" I asked, not expecting an answer and not disappointed. If Zhaohui wanted someone waiting for him when the Heavenly Realm opened, someone would be waiting for him. With, what did they call it? A butcher's bill.

I pulled up Melissa's contact and called her, getting an answer. "You still have plenty of built up cycling, right?"

"Yes..." Melissa looked at me worried. "What's the matter?"

"Do you mind one more there while you try for a breakthrough then? I want to see if I can help Danny too, all the Seekers need I think." I answered.

"If you'll tell me what's the matter, I don't mind."

I glanced at the time. "I just spent the last hour and change looking at the news. The first estimates from yesterday? Anywhere from one to seven percent of the world just died. I've made it through two breakthroughs. You're going to make it through the first one today."

I looked directly at her on the screen. "What if he does that for every step? If I can get through two breakthroughs within a month of lighting my own dantian?"

The blood drained from Melissa's face.

"Yeah. I have no clue how to get to this Heavenly Realm, but if they both start with the dantian, we just have to stay ahead of him." I shook my head. "Stay ahead of someone who knows what they're doing. I just hope the Earth being so much bigger than a person really slows him down."

"Yeah, fine. Karen's bringing Ash anyways. Is Mike going to be there?"

I shrugged. "I'm going to send him a message and offer, but he's probably busy as hell right now. He's a firefighter."

"Alright, see you in an hour. I'm going to go check on Karen. Ash is probably already over at her place."

I gave a faint grin. "Don't catch them in a bad spot."

"That's the whole point of not calling ahead." Melissa gave a somewhat forced grin back and hung up.

I called Danny next. Even over video, he still looked a little beat up and tired.

Before I could say anything, he explained. "I stayed up most of the night looking over your research notes. You're definitely hired if you want the job."

"Explains my Researcher title in the Seekers system then. And yes, I'm taking the job. Did you try anything last night?"

He shook his head. "No. After your warning and just generally feeling like crap around two am, I didn't think it safe to try."

"Good. It's going to be a tight fit, but do you think you can come over to my dorm in an hour? Melissa, Karen, and Karen's boyfriend Ash are going to be here while Melissa tries her first breakthrough. I want to see if we can get you on the right path too."

Danny looked at me. "You're awfully focused, and you look worse than you did yesterday."

"I've been going through the news. It's been pretty bad." I replied.

"Yeah. I told you, an act of terrorism."

"See you in an hour then?" I repeated my question and he nodded. "Alright, later."

I hung up.

I debated calling Mike, but didn't want to interrupt him. I'd message him instead.

Mike. If you get this, you're welcome to come by. We're going to do Seeker stuff at noon. You're welcome after that too if you don't get this in time. -Nicole

~~~

The living room of my dorm was cramped with five people in it, and that was without Mike. He'd sent a message all of ten minutes ago after waking from a catnap, but the firehouse was still on full duty runs for the day. He'd be off-shift again this evening as long as nothing else went crazy.

"What's this?" I asked, taking the papers Danny was offering me.

"Your receipt for ten thousand dollars cash paid for leaving the Seekers, a check for the remainder five thousand, and your job offer. Read that over and sign at your leisure, I'm not going to interrupt this." Danny answered.

I looked at the paperwork, shrugged, and put it on a table and then flipped my recorder on again.

"Alright, before we even start, baselines." I pulled up some notes. "Ash, what's your last name? And you Danny?"

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Carson." Ash answered. "You're baselining me?"

"Sidre."

"Everyone." I answered. "Alright. Ash Carson, no power correct? Answer outloud" I looked at him and he agreed. "Karen Dubin, no power." She nodded as well and agreed. "Danny Sidre, false path. How many breakthroughs did you make?"

"One."

I noted that down. "Melissa Belle. Ex false path with one breakthrough. True path, no breakthroughs."

"Yes."

"And myself, Nicole Firen, true path, two breakthroughs. Kinda wish we could get scans of everyone."

"Wouldn't the scans not show anything?" Danny frowned. "With the exception of you and Melissa, no other medical scans I know of have shown anything like your dantian."

"And then yesterday happened. Which brings me to question one of this session. Does the air seem different to anyone?"

"Yes." Chorused everyone.

I pointed at Ash. "Alright, Ash, you first. Description please."

"It's heavier, thicker. Like there's more of it." Ash answered.

I nodded. "Anything else?" He shook his head. "Alright, Karen. How does it feel to you?"

"The same as Ash. I used to live in Colorado in the mountains, and coming to low elevations felt like this before I got used to it."

"Maybe we can check to see if atmospheric pressure is different then. Anything else?"

"No."

"Alright. Danny?"

"It's sitting on me. It's like it has an actual weight to it. Based on your notes I was reading through, I've been trying to ready my power, and that weight is making it much, much harder to pull that energy out. I'm hoping I can pull enough out to do this."

"Melissa?"

"It's energy. It pushes against me, and I can feel it grounding out my power? I can cycle just fine, but every breath a little bit of that power tries to enter my dantian and burns out."

I wrote down her description, pausing. "Is it making you burn your stored energy faster? Do you think you still have several hours built up?"

"A little faster, but I've been holding back and building up, keeping up with the drain."

"Alright." I looked at everyone else. "For completeness, it feels like power to me as well. But I can literally feel separation in it, like it's a little bit earthy, a little air. Something that tastes like car exhaust, buildings, and a bit of trees. Yesterday in the conservatory it was a lot more trees and a lot of other things as well." I shuddered. "Like blood."

"The alien said the world's soul took its first breath and lit its dantian." I started.

"Wait, are you thinking we're literally breathing in what the earth is exhaling?" Karen interrupted.

"Probably. That's what I got out of that third breathe yesterday." I nodded.

"Wasn't just me that felt that difference then." Ash noted quietly.

"So, we've got one guaranteed experiment today, one possible, and a crazy idea I don't even like to suggest, but it's something that probably needs to be tested." I started. "Guaranteed is Melissa going for her first breakthrough. Possible idea is Danny trying to get on the true path." I looked at him. "We are NOT going to be trying for a breakthrough for you until you get a CAT scan. Melissa's breakthrough on the false path hurt her, and I want to know if you've got the same problem first."

"I probably do. And I've been in first breakthrough for a good three months, which probably makes it worse." Danny had a morose look.

"The crazy idea, well..." I looked at Karen and Ash. "Involves trying to get you power. I'm not even going to go over how that might work right now though."

They both looked intrigued. "Seriously. If we're going to do something stupid, I want to fully go over it with you both, not just half ass this. We have to beat the alien to the Heavenly Realm and I want to pack the race, but I'm not going to make completely stupid risks."

Karen actually pouted while Ash nodded.

"Alright, Melissa. You're up." I pointed to the kitchen, where a painter's drop cloth was already laid out.

"I will kick you if you stare too much." Melissa looked at Danny as she said it.

"I'm at least fifteen years older than you." He replied.

"Doesn't stop a creeper." Melissa began stripping down, stopping at a sports bra and a bikini bottom.

"I don't know if it was because it was my second breakthrough, or just yesterday, but I didn't have any weird shit the second time." I offered as Melissa sat down on the plastic tarp.

"That'd be great."

I pulled up a timer. "Melissa Belle, attempting first breakthrough. Estimate of three hours full cycle overflow stored. For comparison's sake, I believe I had maybe thirty minutes on my first breakthrough. Tell me when."

Melissa nodded, going into a full split. "Go."

I clicked the timer on as Melissa began stretching. To my senses, a storm seemed to flow out of nowhere from the other gymnast, lightning tingling against the power in the air.

"Are we going to watch her stretch for what, three hours?" Danny looked around, blinking.

"No." I answered. "She's pushing beyond that point. Does anyone else feel something coming from her?"

"No?" Ash said. Karen stared at her for a moment. "I'd like to say yes, but no."

"Ozone." Danny answered. "The air is still weighing on me, but now it feels like lightning as well."

I checked to make sure the recorder was catching Danny's comment when Karen made a gagging sound. "Oh god, that's gross."

"Don't touch her. That's the same weird gross shit that came out of me." It seemed to be coming from all over her skin, but Melissa didn't notice even as she went from one sitting stretch to another, her hands blackening as the morass dripped from her in almost solid chunks at first, before finally starting to liquefy.

"That is disgusting." Ash made a face. "I've smelled gym bags and compost heaps better than that shit."

After only a few more minutes, Melissa seemed to have sweated it all out, the yuck still on her body but also dripped off onto the plastic. "At least this time it's not going to take a steam vac."

Melissa opened her eyes, looked around, and shuddered. "I made it, but oh god this is horrible." The lightning storm ebbed back as I stopped the timer, but I could now feel her dantian slowly spinning again, apparently above the background of the air now.

"Take a shower in a minute, it's already ready. But details first. You made it?"

"Yeah." Melissa looked at the goop. "It actually resisted, and I could see the bit of power I tried with the first time. I had to break through that first before I could start clearing out the block. It was like a solid at first. I know you said it only took you thirty minutes worth of full cycle time to go through, but I'd put what it took me as almost two hours worth." Melissa gave a look of confusion. "Wow, I'd go through the remainder fast. That's a lot more area to overflow from."

"Yeah, I noticed that myself. But it took you that much extra to break through?" Melissa agreed. "Alright, new rule for breakthroughs then. We build up until we're literally losing more than we can cycle back in before trying a block." I tossed an old pair of slippers to her. "You know where the bathroom is, please try not to drip on anything."

As Melissa left, Danny looked at the goop on the tarp. "Suddenly, I'm not looking forward to first breakthrough again."

I immediately rebutted him. "You're not going to go for a breakthrough. Even without the new rule, until we have a CAT scan of your dantian to know what's screwed up and how much you might need to fix it, you're not going to try."

I picked up the tarp by the corners and dumped the entire thing in an empty garbage bag. "You wanted something for the biolab, right Karen?" I heard the shower kick on.

"I almost want to say no." She was pale and looked to be trying to not throw up.

"Heh." I nodded my agreement to that. "Ready Danny?"

"Pull power out of my breakthrough, start stacking it?" He asked.

I nodded. "Go for it. It's probably going to be easier however you originally figured out your power though."

"Your dorm really doesn't have room for Karate forms. I'll just sit and try. If it doesn't work, maybe we'll try somewhere I can actually move."

"If you can, count out the number of times you pull your power together." I asked.

Danny sat seiza and nodded, looking out at nothing. "One. Two. Three." He paused. "Three. Four. Five." He paused again. "Outside energy is managing to smother it sometimes. Five."

We waited while Danny counted quietly, several times having to repeat himself. "Fifty-five. Fifty-six. Holy shit!"

It sputtered and burned, pushing away the energy in the air from him as I literally felt his dantian form. A critical mass formed from nothing, then flooded his body, before returning to his heart and swirling, before falling low enough that the power in the air hid his dantian.

"Cycle it Danny, move it around. I thought I saw something."

The feeling of warm fire spun up and I stared at Danny intently. It wasn't a smooth rotation at all, it looped into itself, snagging on things, before looping outside of itself and starting over.

"Go ahead and let it go. Don't try to push hard on it at all."

Danny was just staring in wonder at his hands. "I don't have to call it up?"

Even the sense of beating I'd felt yesterday and earlier today was quickly fading from him. "Alright. Get a feel for it, don't spin it up anymore. You need a scan before anything else. I know you saw Melissa go into her breakthrough, and you have my research notes on what happened before. Still, please don't."

Danny nodded distractedly. "Yeah, no screwing myself over any more."

I smiled, then looked to Ash and Karen. Oddly, they both gave me apprehensive looks. "So, time to discuss my crazy plan. I promise, you don't have to do it if you don't want."