I enter my inner world before anything starts happening. At first glance, nothing is different. Then, as I look at my Core, I see that the light within it is growing in intensity, the usual fluctuations moving faster and faster until my whole Core is a steadily-glowing heart of heat-less light.

I normally compare my Core to being the star at the centre of the solar system which is my inner world, but only now I can see just how wrong I’d been. Now, it’s a star. A source of light so bright that I feel even my mental eyes should have been burnt out by its intensity.

When the luminance increases beyond anything I thought possible, there is a pause. For a heartbeat, it feels like time has stopped, like the world is taking a breath. And then with the exhale, it all begins.

Like the strident first notes of a symphony where every instrument plays simultaneously, the light explodes out of my Core like a tidal wave. An ocean of light forces itself through my narrow channels. I don’t understand how it’s possible for such a huge amount of Energy to fit in them, but somehow it works.

Normally almost completely detached from my bodily sensations, I still feel the echoes of the intense pleasure which usually pours through me during a level up. Now inside my inner world, I can see what causes it.

The Energy, at first so uniform, has shattered into a thousand or more smaller movements. Like a wave which encounters obstacles and becomes different ripples, the tsunami which had ripped through me is now ricocheting around the mandala.

Getting closer, I investigate what’s happening on a more detailed front. Every time the Energy passes through my mandala, the channels widen and somehow…strengthen? Unlike with the Strength and Dexterity points, I don’t notice much Energy seeping through the channels themselves into the blackness beyond.

There is some, but it doesn’t appear to be doing the same thing as the Energy which seeped out during the individual Strength and Dexterity points. It also appears a little different from the rest of the Energy passing through me. Dimmer, perhaps? More bronze than gold.

At least it’s not much. I’m satisfied at the thought that I shouldn’t be losing a whole load of my level up benefits to the ever-hungry void which surrounds part of the mandala – just as I’d hoped.

As I investigate my internal matrix, I realise that there’s something else happening. The Energy isn’t just washing around my mandala, it’s also pushing in rhythmic waves through the channels which lead outwards.

Worried that I might be losing Energy to my surroundings, I go to see what’s happening. I probably am losing some Energy to my environment, but the majority of it is actually being used. Each pulse of Energy extends the threads outwards just a bit more. The channels are noticeably growing – I’m surprised at just how much.

Considering that I’ve only added six points to Wisdom in comparison to the thirty-four I’d had previously, I wouldn’t have expected it to have had as much effect as I’m seeing here. By the time the pulses of Energy start slowing down, the threads extending from my mandala must have put on a good third more growth compared to what they’d had when I first arrived.

I’m not complaining, but I do have to wonder why. Is it because I committed so many points to Wisdom all at once? Or is it because the points become more ‘valuable’ as I increase in level? And they themselves move past certain thresholds? Certainly, less Energy is required to add a point to a stat with fewer than ten points than if the stat already had more than that in it. Presumably, that means more changes were made with each of the stat points. Is that what’s happened here? Or is forty a threshold value of some sort of itself?

Perhaps I’ll find out when I add points to my other stats.

The pulses of Energy have slowed down significantly by now, the ripples moving much more slowly and sluggishly than they had at the start. My matrix in general is dimmer, not as under strain as it appeared to be earlier. Looking at my core, I note how it seems a lot dimmer now. Not in a bad way; in fact, if anything, I would say it looks in better condition at this level of brightness. The patterns of movement inside are more relaxed and it just simply looks under less stress than before.

I’m not too surprised at the observation – it was the Pure Energy’s forcible filling of my Core that both caused the damage to it and gave me no choice but to level up again and again. Actually, I’m a little surprised that I didn’t cause damage to my internal matrix as a whole: now I’ve seen what happens when I level up, I would imagine that starting another level up before the last one has really finished would cause overloading of the internal matrix itself.

Well, maybe it would be good for me to go through my matrix with a fine-toothed comb just to make sure. Nothing is showing on my status sheet about it, but that might just mean any damage isn’t serious enough to appear.

Not right now, though.

Thinking that it’s all over, I’m surprised when the remaining ripples within my internal matrix suddenly reverse direction. Where before they had been ricocheting around my mandala, now they concentrate back on my Core, moving back to encircle it like a halo. Wondering whether some of the Energy is actually going to be reabsorbed, I’m quickly proven wrong.

Instead, it explodes outwards, a sudden wave of light going through my internal matrix. When it reaches the outer loops of my mandala, it actually feeds into the luminous blackness, continuing to expand out to the limits of my Core world.

As it does that, it seems to collect those motes of bronze light I had noticed earlier, which interestingly enough haven’t diffused into the blackness the way I was expecting.

At the edges of my inner world, the wave seems to diffuse through the edges of my Core space and then…vanishes.

Perplexed by this finale, I pull out of my Core space, only to be hit by a sudden wave of nausea. I’m quickly reminded of something I’d forgotten happened at times like this, not having levelled in a while. For all the pleasure during the levelling up itself, the aftermath isn’t fun. Not to mention something else: the smell.

It’s not actually too bad. I don’t think I even vomited this time – I don’t see any evidence of it, anyway. Perhaps my body has got rid of the majority of its toxins, or perhaps a non-physical stat causes less purging, I don’t know. Is this what that final explosion of light did?

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Of course, less purging doesn’t mean none – I’ve still sweated dark brown stuff and currently stink to high heaven. I can see my Bound recoiling in disgust, their sensitive noses probably suffering more than mine. Sirocco is the only one not seemingly bothered – probably her sense of smell isn’t the best, being a bird. Her eyesight is probably her strongest sense.

Even Lathani decides to make a comment, padding over lightly and circling me once.

You stink again, she announces.

“Hello to you too,” I reply, more than a little amused. I haven’t seen her a lot recently – her waking hours have been spent out in the forest with either Bastet and a couple more of my Bound, or her mother. By the time she gets back, she’s been too tired to do much, tending to just go into the cave and sleep.

Her efforts are bearing fruit, though – her body is even more lithe and muscled than before, her gait sinuous and balanced. She makes only the barest whisper of a noise with her paws even when she’s not trying to be quiet. In fact, she’s growing into quite the little predator.

You need to wash yourself, she chides me, sitting down, her head held primly cocked to one side.

“That’s the plan,” I sigh. “I’m going down to the river now.” I match words to action, pushing myself to my feet. “Who wants to come with me?” I ask, looking around at my relaxing Bound.

Hades and Persephone are both meditating with Cores and express a lack of desire to move. Fenrir sends over a feeling of tiredness – I suppose that it’s not surprising considering that he went out earlier today with the hunting party. That leaves River and Bastet.

I’ll come, Bastet says. I’ll bring the cubs.

Would you like me to come, master? River asked. By this point, I’ve mostly just accepted that his overly-subservient demeanour is unlikely to improve before our arrangement has been settled.

“Sure. The more, the merrier,” I tell him.

Can I come too? asked Lathani, getting to her paws and bouncing around a bit. I glance up at her mother but Kalanthia just yawns in disinterest. I guess that’s implicit permission.

“Alright,” I tell her then glance over at Bastet. “Are you OK watching over Lathani while I wash myself?” The raptorcat sends over the feeling of a nonchalant shrug. Considering that they’ve been out several times into the forest together, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Grabbing my soap, we go down the hill. It’s actually quite nice to be in the company of the closest of my Bound and Lathani. Almost like a return to a previous time, though River hasn’t been here much longer than Sirocco or Fenrir. Still, with his full sapience, I feel like we’ve been able to build more of a bond together. Though how much of that will prove to be real after I release the actual Bond, I don’t know.

The thought is depressing, so I hastily divert my mind off the topic. Instead, I try to feel the differences between pre- and post-levelling.

I haven’t yet checked my status screen, but I’ve definitely got more of a sense of…connection to my surroundings. It’s like there’s a sixth sense which is slowly being awakened. I’m not limited only to my eyes anymore, though my new sense is nowhere near as clear as my other senses. It’s more instinctual, like a flicker in my peripheral vision or the hint of a scent.

I also feel less like an outsider. More like I…belong here. It’s odd to say, but I feel a kinship to the creatures and plants around me that had been missing before. Curious about how it might affect my Inspection Skills, I cast Inspect Environment.

There’s a qualitative improvement – I feel the pulse go further and impact more plants and hidden creatures than it did before. Interesting.

“Just one moment,” I say to my companions. They stop, looking at me curiously as I cast Inspect Flora on a plant by my feet. It’s one I recognise, one I’ve cast before. I’m doing that intentionally: I’d like to see how it’s changed.

Common plant: Sycopsis franguloides

Edible: Yes (leaves, roots after being exposed to high heat, berries after being frozen)

Alchemical uses: Leaves (unknown), sap (unknown)

Medical uses: Unknown (burn treatment).

This plant is an evergreen which may have specific properties when exposed to extremes of temperature. It has multiple alchemical and medical uses.

Close message? Y/N

The answer is that yes, there is significantly more information. Where before only leaves had been identified as edible, now the roots and berries are marked as edible, but only after they’ve been exposed to a certain temperature.There’s also more information about the alchemical and medical uses – clearly the leaves and sap are the most useful when it comes to alchemy. More experimentation will be needed to find out which part of the plant is good for treating burns, and what needs to be done to make it into suitable medicine.

Still, it’s a lot more information that I’d had before, proving the immediate use of adding points to Wisdom. Looking up at River, I tell him about the new properties that the Skill revealed to me. He looks interested and leans down to pick the plant.

“Why don’t we come back this way and grab a few then?” I suggest. “That way we don’t have to carry them for long. You can experiment when we get back.”

Very well, River agrees, standing up straight again.

It’s not long before we get to the river bank. We all check the surrounding area for any signs of threats. Not seeing any, I strip off my clothes and squat down by the river, washing them out first. There’s no point in putting on dirty clothes after getting clean, after all.

After washing them out, I tuck them into my Inventory. They’ll need to dry, but I’ll drape them over a bush near the cave rather than a bush here. Another glance around not revealing anything, I step into the river itself.

By this point the cold doesn’t bother me too much. Part of it’s probably my increased Constitution – I’ve certainly noticed that temperature has bothered me less as it’s gone up – but most of it is probably just that I’ve got used to cold baths. I’m not overthinking it now, just getting on with it.

As I soap myself up, I do think longingly of nice hot showers, or a luxurious bath in which I could spend an hour, topping it up with warm water as it gets cool. I’ve just tucked my soap into my Inventory when I feel something brush past my leg.

My senses immediately leap to high alert and I still, looking around me. I don’t see anything, but my nerves are jangling. It could have just been a current of water that briefly changed the texture of the water. But my instincts are telling me that it’s more than that.

Not bothering to rinse myself off, I start wading back to shore. Just in case, I pull my knife out of my Inventory, gripping it firmly.

Bastet and River have both stiffened too. River is focussing intently on the river itself, where Bastet is looking around the area in case we’re about to be ambushed. I don’t think they’ve seen anything; I think it’s my own alarm which has set off theirs. Lathani is looking confused, but seeing her companions’ tension, she too is preparing, crouching down with her ears pinned back against her head and her teeth bared.

I’m almost to the shore when I feel the current of water change around my leg.

Master, there! I hear just as I look down.

A mouth appears out of nowhere and slams shut on my limb, a crushing bite piercing my skin in a second.

Before I can react with more than a hiss of pain, a powerful yank pulls me down into the water which closes over my head.