At first, the bright sun-like glow is too strong for me to look directly at the mass, let alone see any details. Then, like I’m wearing a filter which blocks out progressively more of the light without changing the colour, I become able to not only look at the sphere but see the outer wall of it. At least, I assume it’s the outer wall, but what if the whole of my Core is solid – in whatever way solid exists in this nonphysical world? From what River says, Energy-Hearts sound like they’re solid; is that what I have, though?

I dismiss the idea after a little longer spent observing it: there is too much variation of light within the Core to make such an idea likely. It looks like the mass of whatever inside is an ever-moving sea, patches becoming brighter and dimmer in turn. The other flickering to the Core where the whole lot of it seems to flare and dim seems a lot less natural; it’s probably a result of what I’ve just put myself through.

Inspecting the surface, I notice that though the cracks are deeper than the first time I saw them, they’re not that deep. Yet, at least. Maybe this is why there’s ‘only’ nine percent of damage, rather than more than that. They’ve also spread further, each crack having formed a few more branching lines. As an experiment, I reach gently for a bit of mana, imagining that I want to feed it along one of the connections. Moving almost in slow-motion, thanks to my intense focus, I see the glow brighten in one spot. It then starts bulging out from the body of the Core. Trying to put a physical description to it, I can only say that it appears like liquid oozing through solid – perhaps like blood dripping through already blood-soaked fabric.

As the drop emerges, I see my Core take damage. The wall shifts very slightly, and the movement, just like with glass or diamond, causes the whole structure to fracture very slightly more. Unlike with a true crystalline structure, however, a single fracture doesn’t then lead to the whole structure losing its integrity. It does mean that the cracks all over the surface deepen, to my continued dismay. Once more I feel a sharp pain, despite barely feeling connected to my body at this point. Or maybe it isn’t actually a bodily pain anyway. I don’t need to check my status to see that the damage has reduced my mana capacity further.

I return to my body, wanting to think about it for a while. I stand and look around for my companions. The sun is on the horizon; twilight is almost here. Bastet and the cubs are already inside the alcove, curled up. Fenrir is still on guard and Sirocco is somewhere in the trees. River, however, is sitting and looking at me thoughtfully.

“What?” I ask, a little defensively.

You are remarkably vulnerable in moments like that, he notes. I spoke to you, but you did not answer. My shoulders rise defensively before I sigh and forcibly relax. He’s not criticising; he’s just highlighting a weakness.

“I didn’t realise it was that bad,” I reply after a moment. “But thanks for letting me know.” If I’m so unresponsive to stimulus, I must make sure to only go deep into myself when I’m somewhere safe.” Actually… “Could you do me a favour? Try shaking my shoulder when I’m in it.” He sends acquiescence over the Bond, and moves towards me. I hold up a hand. “Just give me a moment.”

Closing my eyes, I reenter the trance, by now able to enter my inner world without more than a few moments’ notice – somewhat different from the first few times. I don’t try to explore anything about the intricate weave or my Core, this time just waiting. It seems like a long time before I feel a faint sensation of being shaken. It’s like it’s happening to someone else, and all I’m feeling are the echos of the sensation down a Bond or something. Still, I felt it. I open my eyes.

You felt that, then? River inquires. I nod.

“Yes. Faintly, though. If I was deep in concentration, I might not actually feel it at all. Also...did you wait a long time?” He tilts his head to one side.

No. Only the moment you asked for. I nod thoughtfully. OK, so time does move quicker when I’m in my inner world? Interesting. And useful? Potentially. Then I realise that River had said he was trying to talk to me earlier.

“What did you want to say to me when you tried to contact me and couldn’t?” I ask.

I merely wished to find out where you would like me to sleep. Forgive me; I would rather not be too close to the Great Predator. Ah. Yes. Good point. Since I’m the host, I really should have sorted this.

I take a moment to look inside the alcove with an eye to seeing how much space is left. Bastet and the cubs really don’t take up much room, curled up as they are. My bed takes up about half the rest of the space, but I don’t actually use the whole area – it’s a bit wider than a single bed, though not quite a double.

“OK, so would you prefer to sleep inside in the warmth, but be in an alcove off Kalanthia’s cave, or sleep outside where it’s colder, but you’re farther away from Kalanthia?” River takes some time to consider the matter.

My kind do not do well with the cold, he says finally. I would prefer to be warm rather than outside in the night’s chill. Could the Great Predator easily access me inside? I hesitate.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Well, not technically,” I finally say slowly. “She can’t fit inside the alcove, and it would probably take a bit of swiping to get at you. But that said, she’s the one who made the alcove, so I doubt it would take much effort to...unmake it.” River’s spikes flash in surprise.

The Great Predator made the alcove?

“She made the whole cave, I believe,” I respond, surprised at his surprise. Didn’t his people know that about Kalanthia? “She can shape earth.” The colours in his spikes flash even deeper, showing the intensification of his emotion.

I did not know she was an earth-shaper, River admits. It makes sense why my people had so much trouble with her before, if that’s the case.

“Yeah. But frankly, I don’t think you’d be any safer sleeping out here. You saw how easily she jumped out at us from the bushes; if she’d been hunting us we’d have had little chance, and that’s with all of us in a state of alertness.” The colours of his spikes shift to a red and pale yellow that speaks of fear. “But I wouldn’t worry – so far, she has proven as good as her word and she’s said that she wishes to hear the whole of it before making any judgement. There’s a very good chance you’re safe for tonight. Longer than that, though…we’ll have to see.” He snaps his jaws a couple of times, then clearly forcibly relaxes himself.

Very well. I will trust your interpretation of her character. Though, as I said before, if my death will save my village, I am willing to offer it.

“And I said that I’m going to try to find another way,” I tell him, feeling a little exasperated at how he seems to have fixated on the idea of dying a martyr. “Anyway, if you’d rather sleep inside, we can make some space for you. Otherwise, it’s up to you to work out the best place to sleep out here.”

No, I would prefer warmth, he decides.

“And do you usually make a bed of some sort, or do you just sleep on the ground?” I check. He makes a gesture with his claws which I interpret as my equivalent of a shrug.

We often pull in some leaves to cushion the ground slightly, but it’s not necessary.

“No, it’s OK. If I just lay some more clothes down, we should have space. I recommend you sleep against the wall since I’m not going to bed yet.” He lifts his chin for a moment.

I appreciate your kindness. Raising an eyebrow, I shrug.

“Just basic hosting, man. I wish I had a bed to offer, but I don’t, unfortunately. Anyway, I’ll join later.”

Then I wish you luck with your Energy-Heart, he says before briefly tipping up his chin once more and heading into the cave. I frown at his back. I’m getting a weird energy from him… Then something he said sparks an idea. Could that help me?

Pulling out an Energy-Heart from my Inventory, I tilt it back and forth, admiring the way it picks up light in the darkening twilight. Even without the light from the Pure Energy nearby, the jewel-like crystal gleams and sparkles like there are polished facets inside the structure. I take a moment to examine it, again. Energy-Heart is what River called the Core inside me, as he calls this. Perhaps there are some similarities that could help me repair my own Core?

When I tested the Energy-Heart previously, I’d used almost all my senses to investigate it. All but one, in fact. Staring at it as I once more catch the delectable scent, I decide to give into my curiosity. I’ve already absorbed this stuff through my hand with no problems; why would absorbing it anywhere else make any difference. Hoping I’m not making another mistake, I dare to touch the tip of my tongue to the Core.

It tastes as good as it promised, a mixture of spicy sweetness – a bit like honey which has been stored in the same pot as a chilli pepper. Even just the contact made by the tip of my tongue is enough to send the taste all over my tongue. Hmm, I wonder if it’s possible to cook with these? If adding shards to potions increases their efficacity, what could adding it to my meals do? Perhaps it’s worth experimenting with at another time, but not right now. I’m tempted to give the Heart a good lick, but deny myself, instead pulling it away and quickly activating my status screen.

Again, there are no notifications, and at least my health isn’t showing any sort of drop – at least that hasn’t changed. Like last time, my Energy absorption rate has leapt back up to two thousand, nine hundred and seventy units per hour. It lasts a bit longer this time, perhaps more like thirty seconds.

Once more, the few units of Energy that actually gains me is nothing to what I reckon I probably need to work towards another percentage point, let alone towards my next level. Still, as a proof of concept, it’s interesting. And if I’d come across this thing when I was level three or level four, I’d probably be benefiting a lot more from it. Ah well, I’m sure my companions will find them useful. I guess we’ll have to work out distribution after I’ve had that conversation with Kalanthia. Plus, didn’t the giant nunda want these things herself? Maybe for Lathani, thinking about it. So, that will need to be taken into account.

For now, though, I want to see whether I can do anything with the Energy from the Heart to help with my Core. I touch my tongue to the stone again, since that seems to be the longest-lasting method, bar breaking off a shard. Then, I drop back into meditation. Almost in slow motion, I see a bead of brightness travelling along a group of threads which have their end points all in the same area. The brightness moves up the threads and then enters my Core.

I withdraw from the space, looking at the Energy-Heart thoughtfully. I may be grasping here, but the only thing I can think of doing is using magic to heal the cracks in my Core as I would heal an injury. The problem is that getting at the mana in my Core just creates more damage; unless I could outpace the damage with the healing, it wouldn’t make much sense to do it that way. However, if I can control external Energy as I would my mana...maybe that’s exactly what the doctor ordered. But there is certainly a question here: can I control Energy I absorb in the same way I control my mana?