Eric was nervous as he sat on the ground and the glass jar was lowered down over him. His view through the glass was distorted, making the people outside appear warped and twisted.

“Remember,” Zane said through a hole in the top, “Once we start, there's no stopping. We don't have enough cores for a second try.”

The former general nodded. He was no stranger to discomfort, but doubt was preying on his mind. If it was so easy to restore a fractured core, why hadn't anyone else done it?

All cultivators knew that once your core was destroyed, there was no coming back. Assuming you didn't die instantly when your core exploded, it still shattered your cultivation. It removed all ability to control or use Essence.

Eric has lost decades of progress when his core was damaged. Everything he sacrificed, all his years of grinding Essence to buy new abilities, had been rendered pointless by one attack. And now the same person who had broke him was offering a cure.

The basic idea made sense. Essence Cores were made of crystalized Essence, and saturating the area around him with Essence would give it the necessary materials to self-repair. Zane’s use of medicinal herbs to purify the cores meant there would be a relatively safe source of Essence. But Eric still felt like they were missing something.

He heard the sound of glass rubbing together as Zane put the mouth piece in place, sealing him inside. There was a metal marble to act as a valve, preventing air from escaping between hits. From now on, only Essence enriched vapor would enter the device.

The distorted figures outside continued to work. Eric watched as they sealed the bottom of the jar with beeswax to prevent any leaks. Zane rigged his spirit bong to a port near the bottom and gave a thumbs up.

Eric took a deep breath, watching as small bubbles formed in the long glass tube. When he exhaled, there was a faint clicking noise from the one way valve above him. The air inside the jar felt a bit more humid, but there wasn't much else that had changed.

Zane gave him another thumbs up and took a hit from the mouth piece on top of the jar. Eric’s ears almost popped from the sudden drop in air pressure as the rogue cultivator took a massive rip.

“I don't think it's affecting me,” Eric called out, realizing that the glass was muffling his words. He could hear muffled sounds of coughing and laughter outside as Pinky took a hit. The kitsune planted a kiss on the side of his jar and waved before heading to the snack table.

He wasn't sure what to make of that. Pinky had always seemed so cold and distant. Perhaps she was warming up to him? Either way, she seemed to have started a trend.

Lily took a hit of her own and kissed the glass. Eric felt a pang in his chest as his friend walked away. This was the most attention Lily had shown him since he joined Zane’s group of misfits. Most days she barely talked to him.

He wondered why that was. They had been like siblings once, two decent people looking out for each other in a sect of asshole cultivators. Now they felt more like an old divorced couple, uncomfortable and awkward.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Eric closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. They had been friends before and could be friends again, he just needed to fix his core first. Everything would be better once he fixed his core.

But what if it didn't work? What if they were wrong and it didn't fix him? What if Zane was pulling a prank on him? What if it was a trap?

He tried to slow his thoughts, but they kept coming. Every doubt and worry was magnified, echoing back at him from inside his glass prison.

***

“The smoke isn't thick enough,” Zane said with a shake of his head. He could feel the ambient Essence inside the jar increasing with each hit, but it wasn't enough. They needed to work faster.

Luckily, Zane had prepared for such a contingency. “Daisy! You're up!” he called out.

Daisy trotted into the restaurant, her hooves covered in rags to protect the wooden floors. The Essence rich vapor inside the jar was drawing her in like a moth to a flame.

“How wonderful! How beautiful! It's so full of light!” the horse said as she got ready to take a hit.

“Now, I don't want you getting too crazy,” Zane warned, “Just one good pull, then back to the stables.”

“Oh yes, Master.” Daisy nodded furiously. She had recently started calling Zane her Master instead of the Awakener, no doubt due to Eric’s influence. “I will do as you command.”

“Good. Now, let me load up some fresh cores so you can take your shot.” Zane made a point of double checking all the connections after he replaced the spent cores. The last thing he wanted was an air leak.

“Ok, Daisy,” he said with a thumbs up, “Let her rip!”

***

For a second Eric felt like he had been shot out into space. There was an intense sensation of suction from above, followed by a rush of thick white vapor. The air was so rich with Essence that it sparkled like a rainbow.

He could feel it now. There was a lightness in his head and a gentle softening of the world around him. His worries melted away like spun sugar being kissed by soft summer rain.

Everything was fine. He was fine. In fact, Eric wondered why he had ever been worried in the first place. He waved at Lily, who responded playfully by eating two deviled eggs in one bite. She rubbed her stomach to emphasize how good the food was.

“Oh wow,” Eric said as he looked out at the table covered in food, “I’d kill for some of that right now.”

“Good,” whispered a raspy voice from somewhere inside the jar, “Perhaps you might be willing to make a deal?”

Eric froze. “Who said that?”

“I did,” rasped the voice, “It was so nice of you to prepare this shrine for me. I haven't felt Essence this pure in ages. And to think, you even used human cores. That shows true dedication!”

The former cultivator began to sweat. There was either a demon or a god in there with him. Both were equally dangerous. “That's us,” he lied, “We are very dedicated.”

“And a shrine made of glass, how modern!” the voice continued, “You must be very special to your cult for them to have gone to all this effort. Are you their leader?”

Eric blinked a few times. “Maybe? Who’s asking?”

“The Great Shadow Coyote,” replied the god trapped in the jar with him.

“In that case,” Eric said, “Definitely not.”