A Salpabit tried to jump in the pool of hot water, but a bone spike impaled it on the ground, killing it in place. Basil did the same for twenty more or so of the crustaceans and ate all of them, but after some time decided not to kill more as he didn't need more meat at the moment.

With nutrients flowing through his body, Basil could feel more changes inside and outside. Some of his organs became more resilient and active at processing toxic materials, like his kidneys and liver. His lungs' capacity to exchange gases became quicker when he breathed in and out with the help of the diaphragm.

Basil's organ evolved in a way that he could use most of the resources he consumed with excellent efficiency. The problem was that he had to puke blood for five minutes while his body broke and regenerated with the help of the mutagen once again.

An animal would become deranged from all this pain, but Basil got a hold of his senses each time the changes struck inside his ever-changing body. The mutagen only changed organic matter, and it didn't touch Basil's cores even if it wanted because they were composed of minerals and energy.

After a while, Basil decided it was time to get back to Auriz. Like before, there wasn't anything in the other pools, just more water, but he noticed there were tiny crystals of sulfur on each of the lower banks. How did Basil know these crystals were called sulfur?

Basil's brain and digestive system learned a new trick to complete his mutagenic recomposition. They can steal a bit of knowledge from another' creature's minds if Basil consumes it entirely. Because he devoured twenty crustaceans that ate sulfur as a primary food source, he understood what the yellow mineral was.

Also, Basil grabbed how the Salpabait generated those tiny crystals outside of their shells. In short, he can't produce crystals out of his body, but he learned to do it with bones. Instead of making spikes from inside his ribs, Basil can create a system of roots from his spinal bones to cover his back and other places.

This method of producing bone structures affects only the dermis layer of the skin instead of the internal bones and muscles and diminishes the pain Basil must endure every time he needs to produce one spike.

The system Is faster and less hurtful, but he needs to create bones internally if he needs something sturdy. Basil knew this was something he couldn't come up with alone and instantly understood that this was something the liquid had done too.

He focused on climbing the mountain of pools to the top where Auriz fragment waited. After a half-hour or so, he reached the top and discovered something strange. The cube was no more; instead, there was a lump of crystals the same color as Auriz but bleached. Basil felt happy and a little concerned.

He tried to call her. — "Auriz?" — But still got no response.

Maybe she needed more time? He didn't know for sure, but he couldn't stay put for her to recuperate. Now that his body was recovering and his arm seemed to be regrowing slowly, Basil needed to gain experience in this terrain if he wanted to leave the mountain later.

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"Awake, child"

A mysterious voice called towards a small white light in an ocean of opaque colors. The light didn't seem to notice it was being called and opted to wander around the expanse.

"It seems you are unfocused."

The light kept moving, oblivious of the entity's words; this piqued its interest a bit more.

"Ah, I see, you have created an ego already. Well, if you wander around with a creature like that, it is bound to happen at some point, it is not?"

The light stopped for a moment like it remembered something, but in the end, it kept wandering.

"Hush, don't be like that child. You are not a lost soul; you are just confused and in shock of what happened."

The light trembled for a moment in a single spot before continuing its journey.

"I must say this doesn't happen a lot. When one of your kind gains an ego, I mean."

"When you are like this, you lot are quirky in the vast sense of things."

"This doesn't mean I don't like you. Of course, you become less rigid and more creative growing up instead of just guarding the spot where you were born."

"This means you are pretty Curious, isn't it, Auriz?"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The light, now getting a pink color, stopped in its track and listened to the voice.

"Are you awake now, my dear?"

Auriz seemed confused and looked at the colorful expanse in search of answers.

"You can talk here, you know." — Indicated the voice.

"Are you the Asther?" — Auriz asked, still moving around.

"One of its many personalities and minds. We need to control many areas to maintain a balance in the many energies that exist."

"Why am I here?"

"That depends. Golemites don't die; their energy gets recycled in layers below you."

"Layers?"

"Yes, Layers, when one of you creates an ego, things get different, your energy is not recyclable again, well, not entirely, and that's why you are on the surface right now."

"The surface? of what?"

"Of myself, of course!"

"... I still don't know what am I doing here" — Protested Auriz.

"Ah, yes, that. Well, because that creature fragmented your body, you were supposed to be recycled, but thanks to your reptilian friend, you are here."

"Basil?"

"Yes, that one, quite quirky too. Basil has accumulated various energies by now but still doesn't know how to use them, which is quite sad. Still, his species is as cute as dangerous too."

"There were two that destroyed "gods" just because they thought they were assholes. In the end, they became like them, "gods," not assholes, mind you."

The entity took a brief pause before continuing — "Anyway, because he saved you from "dying," quite noble if I say so, you are getting reformed right now."

Auriz was still processing the information and the weird accentuations the Asther made when it spoke.

"What happens now?"

"You can choose. That's what happens now."

"But choose what?"

"What was one of the first phrases you spoke to the Gekkonoid?"

"... I want to survive... Like you."

"That's right."

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Nurn Unstable beings made of energy. They are highly volatile as they don't have a material body to hold them together. As a solution, they cover themselves with materials commonly found in the area they wander. Usually pacific and a marauder in nature, they often claim one place as their own, hoping that they grow a husk with time to hold their energy, finally evolving into a Tha'urn.

Evalyne observed how Basil stalked one of these creatures, small but full of energy, and it reminded her of her origins. A small kid overflowed with more force than their peers, always looking for new ways to control more than she could handle.

Evalyne's childhood wasn't exactly what you would expect. Normalcy didn't go with her because she got tutored in her parent's home, kept away from her kin.

Because she presented more Asther fluctuations than average, her family pressed her in becoming the vanguard of her family, with a time of her nation. Evalyne studied runes and mystical languages in ruins and obscure places when she was just a teenager, awakening a craving for knowledge with each discovery.

When she reached adulthood, she abandoned her family after feeling they overlooked her achievements. Evalyne grew resentment towards anyone who used and never gave any credit for her exploits, more than anyone her mother.

Evalyne's mother was, in the brief sense of things, a megalomaniac. She believed that all of the goals Evalyne achieved were hers to claim and to overplay as she deemed fit. It was infuriating, and many times, she thought of taking her life, but she endured in the end.

Years passed, and she amassed power, knowledge, and lovers. Evalyne wasn't one to shy away from feeling pleasure and seeking fortune when it meant all her needs were satisfied. Like all, there were treasons, times when she almost died to find a lost rune, and moments of complete bliss and accomplishment.

And when she finally reached the state of immortality, she felt... realized, happy, nothing mattered by this point, no one could make her feel pain... but something was missing, there is something we always miss when we reach the summit.

After all the experiences she has gone through and made her who she was, she thought to herself, "Is this the end? There is nothing more I can learn or do?" And, of course, the answer wasn't so simple.

More years passed, and she found the answer. There were more universes to explore, more galaxies filled with secrets, and planets filled with treasure. Evalyne didn't want to stop, but at some point, she found that if one wanted to feel and study everything there is to learn, she needed to ascend.

At this point in her life, Evalyne deemed herself a goddess. She was prideful, full of magic and knowledge, exuding wisdom to everywhere she went. How wrong Evalyne was when she got requisitioned of everything she built from nothingness,

That day she felt a rage like never before. She was once again that teenager getting neglected of her achievements. She felt weak, useless, like a child learning to walk again and, to make it worse, those fucking automatons calling her a "Limited." It felt denigrating and made her feel worse.

But she endured, for five years she endured these "games," these rules, all of these mocking titles, she paid no mind to them by this point of her life. Evalyne would get what she wanted, one way or another. And for her, surprises would keep coming.

The Specimen Auriz is now one of your champions.