Chapter Twenty-Four

“The first step, young ones, is to really delve into who you are. I mean, really get in there, in the muck of your very soul.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow.

“Truly knowing yourself could take ages. We don’t have ages.”

Lazarus beamed at her.

“Right you are, young woman! Yet, that is the first step. I suggest you spend an hour or so a day really thinking about it. What could help is having someone else tell you how they see you.”

Jackson considered it and looked at Melanie, shrugging.

“You want to give it a try? Feel free to really lay into me.”

Melanie’s hazel eyes studied Jackson, her expression unreadable. Then she said, her voice flat,

“You’re impulsive, Jackson. You rush into decisions with single-minded thinking. How do you defeat the monster? How do you get past this challenge? But you don’t think of the people around you it could affect?”

Melanie sighed and looked up at the trees. A bird tweeted. She continued, her voice wondering,

“Yet you also care. When we first met, you helped me without needing much convincing at all. With that demonic ogre thing, you saved my life when you didn’t have to. Clearly, you care, but there is something dark inside of you. A kind of... I don’t know what to call it. A… hunger... yeah, that’s it. There’s a hunger in your gaze, but you don’t even realize it's there.”

Melanie waved a hand.

“That’s part of the reason I am traveling with you, if I am being honest. I want to see what kind of man you really are, Jackson. Empathetic hero, or the murderer that killed Riselle.”

Jackson looked down, studying the blanket. He sighed,

“My turn, I suppose. I think you have a temper, Melanie. You rush to conclusions before you have all the context. Yet, when you do have that context, you show wisdom in how you handle things. You have good leadership qualities, I would say. Beyond that, I don’t know. They probably need more time around each other.”

Melanie’s hazel eyes lit up in a fiery blaze of anger. Which cooled immediately. She laughed softly.

“I think you may be right. This isn’t easy.”

Lazarus clapped,

“Ah, the young. So adorable. Yet, you are indeed on to something. When criticism is hard to hear, you need to keep an open mind about it, as it is likely true.”

Lazarus pointed upward,

“That is but the first step, however, my young ones. The next is actually imbuing the Concept into your Domain, and that, dear ones, requires spirit manipulation.”

Melanie’s mouth tugged into a confused frown, and her brows furrowed.

“Spirit manipulation?” she inquired.

Lazarus nodded solemnly.

“Spirit manipulation is critical to your foundation. Not only does it allow you to imbue your Concept, but it also allows you to strengthen it. This, Jackson, is another one of those deadly secrets. I can’t go into how you strengthen your Concept just yet, but what I can do is provide you with the basics for spirit manipulation.”

Lazarus gestured at Melanie.

“We will start with you, dear. Why don’t you go ahead and sit cross-legged on your blanket there and close your eyes?”

Melanie’s mouth twisted. She eyed the spirit, uncertain, but sighed and did as he bade. Jackson watched closely as she sat there, cross-legged, eyes closed. Lazarus leaned in and began to speak slowly.

“Sink into your Domain, immerse yourself in it. Do you feel your mana, your aspects running through your Domain?”

Melanie nodded slowly.

“Good. Now, you need to go deeper than that. Find the center of your Domain, the core of it. Probe through that river of mana. Focus is the key here. It helps if you take deep breaths.”

Melanie began to do just that, taking slow breaths in and out. After a while, she spoke, and her voice was smooth, almost trance-like.

“I found it. It’s so vibrant. Is this really my spirit?”

Lazarus smiled,

“Indeed, young lady. Your spirit is the core of your Domain, think of it as your power source, so to speak. Now, the same as you would your mana, pull on it with your consciousness. Leash it to your will. Once that is done, weave it along with your mana into one of your spells.”

Melanie stood up and unslung her bow from her shoulder. Her eyes were open and seemed to swirl with inner light. Jackson swore he could feel something coming from her. It was faint, like a slight tingle on the back of his neck, but he was positive it was there. Melanie knocked an arrow, and an emerald green light swirled around the arrow's tip. The light hummed with deadly purpose, and Melanie let the arrow fly.

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It rocketed from the bow with tremendous force, like an emerald comet that blasted into a tree, decimating it into splinters. Melanie let out a pleased sound.

“I just got a notification! I empowered the weave! Wow!”

Lazarus nodded,

“One of the most basic things you can do with your spirit is empower your weaves, just as you did. There’s more you can do with it as well. Jackson, it’s your turn.”

Jackson was eager to try it himself, and at the spirit's words, he immediately crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Immersing himself in his Domain came easily. When his mind was within his inner self, he almost lost focus.

Jackson's Domain had changed. The river of blood had expanded, and the black void had a feeling to it now. It no longer seemed like a vast emptiness; instead, it seemed like a vast hunger. It was a void that yearned to be filled, and he knew what would fill it. Blood, and even more blood. So much blood that the river would turn into an ocean. The worst part was that he knew the hunger was part of him, and a deep part of that. His brow twitching, he took a breath and focused deeper.

The void of hunger swallowed him, and yet he pushed deeper, his consciousness a sword that looked to pierce this place's heart. Eventually, he found himself past the hunger. It was still a void, but its desire to consume had seemingly vanished. Within the void was a swirling mass, an orb of swirling blood and dark violet. The void seemed to flow through the orb and away from it at the same time. This was it—his spirit, the foundation of who he was, and the source of power in his Domain.

Jackson did as Lazarus had instructed Melanie and reached forth with his consciousness, his will, and leashed onto his spirit. It did not resist him. He pulled it then, the tendrils of his spirit, and as he came back to himself, he threaded that spirit through the weaves that made up blood lightning. The crimson lightning formed in his hand, but this time it fairly hummed with power, and through the core of the lightning was a thread of dark violet. A message floated within his mind, unfurling.

You have empowered the blood-lightning weave! This weave will now do more damage. Warning! Empowering weaves will exhaust more mana!

Lazarus beamed,

“Fantastic! Now throw that bad boy!”

Jackson chuckled, aimed, and threw the crimson bolt of lightning into a tree. The tree promptly exploded and burned, the blood and destruction aspects breaking down the wood and splinters as if consuming them. Eventually, all that remained was a destroyed and discolored stump. Melanie’s eyes widened, and her head swiveled from the tree to Jackson.

“Whoa! That’s awesome... and a little terrifying,” she stated, rubbing at her thigh with a hand.

Jackson shrugged,

“I mean, your emerald arrow thingy was pretty awesome.”

She gave an amusing little laugh.

“Emerald arrow thingy?”

Jackson raised his hands,

“Well, what would you call it?”

“It’s called ‘Nature’s Force’ and it allows me to imbue any weapons with nature and, well, force,” she grinned. Jackson laughed, but Lazarus cut in.

“Yes, you’re both very amusing. Now then, let us move on, shall we? You’ve learned how to empower your weaves. Now I want to show you how to project your spirit.”

Lazarus gestured for Jackson to sit again, and he did so.

“Projecting your spirit is less about grabbing it and more about expanding it. Instead of leashing it with your will, immerse your will within your spirit and project it outside of yourself. Go on, Jackson, give it a try.”

Jackson did so, and this time the process of getting to his spirit was a little easier. Instead of grabbing a thread of his spirit, he instead immersed his will within it, as if the spirit were a ball of water he was dunking a part of his consciousness into. Spirit swam over him, and he had trouble thinking and concentrating. What was he supposed to be doing?

“Focus, Jackson. Focus or you’ll lose yourself.”

Right. Focus. Jackson needed to project his spirit. He pulsed his will, imagining his spirit expanding outward, like a bubble that would encase him. The ball of crimson and dark violet energy responded to his will. It grew, a swirling mass that expanded outward, ever outward, until it was outside of himself.

Jackson heard a gasp, and he opened his eyes. Lazarus was grinning widely, pointing triumphantly at him. Jackson looked down at himself, raising his hands. A crimson and dark violet aura surrounded him, swirling and humming. Melanie was just staring at him like he was some mythical creature out of legend.

“That’s amazing,” she whispered.

Lazarus nodded,

“I remember when I first accomplished this. Truly, impressive.”

A question occurred to Jackson, and he asked Lazarus.

“Why do this, though? What’s the point?”

Lazarus rubbed his hands,

“There are many uses for it. Eventually, your spirit itself can become a weapon. For now, though, just keep this in mind. Now then, young lady, it is your turn.”

Jackson released his spirit, allowing his will to withdraw from the spiritual core at the center of his being. Then he studied Melanie as she settled down and began to take deep breaths. Soon, a vibrant green aura swirled outward from her. More than that, though, feelings washed out of that aura. Jackson felt his feet digging into fresh grass, morning dew coating every blade. The smell of the ocean on a breeze, bloody meat in the maw of a wolf, the bark of a swaying tree in the light of the full moon.

Jackson swayed and almost fell over from the sensations. Lazarus’s face morphed into an astounded expression.

“My dear girl, you’re a natural at this! You’re already projecting aspects too! What a treat you are!”

Melanie opened her eyes, and within their center was an emerald swirl. A moment later, she released her spirit and looked at her hands in wonder.

“I hadn’t even meant to do that; the mana just responded,” she trailed off.

A grin tugged at Lazarus’s spiritual lips until he was grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re going to be something special, dear girl. I can tell. Well, then, you two, you’ve got the very basics down. All you need to do now is come up with Concepts that fit you and, using spirit, weave that image through your Domain using your will. Simple-sounding, but far from easy when actually doing it. We shall work on it more later. For now, I suspect we should move on.”

Jackson glanced at Melanie,

“What direction should we actually go, anyway?”

Melanie shrugged,

“Any direction is fine. We have to find the next floor down eventually.”

Lazarus interjected,

“I know where you need to go. North!” Lazarus pointed. “Far to the north, you will find large mountains. The exit is at the top. Be forewarned, young ones; there is a powerful foe at the top you will have to defeat. Far more powerful than any you have faced thus far.”

Jackson glanced at the spirit and then at Melanie.

“How do you know, Laz?” he asked.

Lazarus shrugged,

“Let us just say I do and leave it at that, my boy. Well? Come on now; we have far to go, and enemies abound!” The spirit smiled.