Heat surged through my entire body, followed by a soothing cooling sensation, then the heat came once again. This cycle went on continuously for some time until it all stopped. I lost consciousness once more.

The next time I regained awareness, the sounds of burning cackles were resounding in the environment. I slowly opened my eyes, my vision still blurred, all I could see were black flames enveloping the area.

"Oh, you're finally awake! Welcome back." I heard a cheery voice greet from my mind. It didn't take up to a few seconds before I realized myself. "Oh, and you may want to start running to your left," Nameless warned in a fit. I jumped to my feet and looked around for the threat.

I strained my eyes a bit to peer into the distance, and saw gigantic wolves with only two bit legs, darting toward me at terrifying speeds. I couldn't stay to analyze the rest of the details, my mad sprint got the best of me I'm afraid.

"Hey, Where the hell are we? And what are those? What happened after the void?" My verbal barrage assaulted Nameless. There were too many questions at the moment to be answered to even try to make sense of the situation.

"Easy easy, that's too many questions at once. If we can make it out of this, I'll bring you up to speed. So run faster damn it!" This guy really is the worst. He's not even taking any of this seriously.

"And you called ME a harbinger of trouble? This is the second time I'm ending up in trouble doing what you said. Damn it all!! Can't I just take on these guys? I'm sure if we use that attack you used that first time--" My glimmer of hope was blinded once again.

"That's not possible right now. You're out of ether, didn't you realize?" Nameless sighed, unveiling the most dreadful information at the moment.

My memory of the void was a bit hazy, and from what I remember last, all my ether had been redirected somewhere else. The wolves were gaining on us and I didn't have any ether to amplify my physical abilities so I was nothing more than a little fish trying to squirm out of the fisher's net. My eyes paced fast across the environs to find an escape route before I would be mauled.

"Over there!! There's a hole next to that crooked-looking tree. Try sliding down that hole, we'll probably be safe since they're too big to fit inside." Looking to my left I saw the exact hole Nameless was talking about. I moved my legs as quickly as possible in that direction.

I knew already okay? I know it was a stupid thing to create another problem to solve one. If mutated wolves were at the surface, then there's no telling what's below, but what other choice is there?

Just a few meters from the hole, I leaped and spiraled headfirst into the awaiting dark underground passage. Just before entering, I felt a sharp object graze the side of my ankle.

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It appears the wild hounds leaped in after me to sabotage my efforts but alas, just as Nameless predicted, they couldn't make it past the entrance. The last thing I would hear from the surface was the sound of their incessant scratching and strikes at the entrance trying to get in. All that I needed to think about now, was what awaits at the bottom.

"Great job. You had me scared at that last part you know? We've recovered a little ether now so you can begin circulation. Or would you like me to show you something cool first?" A notice from Nameless followed by a 'tempting offer' resounded in my mind.

Sometimes I wish this guy had his own body so I could brawl out some issues with him. I landed on hard ground and began exploring the area to find a good place to set up camp.

The bag containing all the rations was lost in the void so if nothing was done about the food situation, we wouldn’t have to wait around for monster attacks to kick the bucket. And here this guy was talking about something cool.

"You do realize you are in as much trouble as I am right now right?" Just in case he was lost in his own safety from within me.

"Just calm down a bit and have a seat. First of all, haven't you realized that you're not hungry or thirsty?" Nameless pointed out, making me realize. Maybe I was too focused on the external situation that I didn't realize the internal changes.

I had been complaining about food rations without even feeling hungry. My body felt, energized even though I just went through the worst marathon sprint I have ever been through.

"You see, you see. You're being energized by your ether. Congratulations, you're now a semi-spiritual lifeform. And it's all thanks to me". Nameless boasted haughtily, trying to take all the glory. Although, just like he said, I didn't feel fatigued or hungry or anything like that.

"It's taking all the self-control I have right now to not give you a piece of my mind, but that's besides the point. More importantly, what do you mean by semi-spiritual?" I had a lot to say right now, but what was important was important. Nameless then went on to explain the various levels of existence.

The world is a physical place, matter and substances can only be interacted with by a physical medium, hence the physical body is provided. But those who are vain, who are obsessed with only the matter of the world, fail to look deeper and realize that the world and all things physical are merely cloaks of the true mechanics and system underneath.

The spirit. The spiritual body is the true existence of what is made physical, hence a spiritual lifeforms are life that exists and functions truly in the world, one with energy and one with ether. The deepest part of one's existence, however, is the soul. The very fundamental information that dictates the existence of one in this world or any, the very entity itself. Nothing shallow like the mental or the metaphysical, the very ideation of a self.

Since I had become a semi-spiritual lifeform, I wouldn't need to thrive by my physical body anymore. The energy around me would become my constant energy source. A massive upgrade if you ask me.

The only thing still bothering me, was the smug feeling the root of this situation expressed.

"Thanks for the lesson as always, but you really need to put more thought into what you've done. So… you can keep going. You haven't gotten to the part about my ether being in my soul or something". I responded after finally calming down.

"You're always so uptight you know? In any case, Your soul… vanished". There was a brief silence for a bit. I didn't stop walking until I properly interpreted his words.

"HUH?-" The ground suddenly started vibrating violently. Just when I was about to lose my mind too. Alright! Time to think. The direction of the tremor was in the direction we were currently headed, however, it could be anything from danger to a way out. At the very least, it was better than stagnancy.

'Something is better than nothing' a wise man once said.

"The owner of that quote isn't anything close to wise if that's the thought process he had when dealing with danger. Well, not like you're any different". Nameless snickered.

"I don't want to hear that from you. Bottom line is we're going! Even if it's anything bad, that's perfect. I need to burn off this extra energy after all". I yelled in a battle cry while running headfirst to the source of the tremor.

"It's probably just the excessive energy running through your body at the moment. You'll sober up soon enough. Well, not that I mind though. I'll be supporting you from within". I couldn't even hear half of what he was saying. My body was pulsing, my vision was better than ever. The more energy I absorbed, the more compelled I felt, just like a charm.

"Well, that didn't take long. You're back to your usual self". Nameless's voice, now louder than ever, shook me from my tranquil state. "Go on now… Go get 'em!!" The bastard just wouldn't stop. How was I supposed to fight against this…?