Within the endless white void sat its only two occupants, talking amongst themselves avidly. Kieran and the mysterious Sage faced one another, discussing these strange apertures of space and the various forms they could take.

Space within space? Connected, but also not?

Kieran ran the man's words through his thoughts repeatedly, but it just didn't make much sense to him. The Sage couldn't explain it all simply enough for his caveman brain to compute, not without disregarding the true essence of these spatial realms. They quickly moved on to discussing Kieran's complete ignorance of The Divine System and magic. Namely, what it had been like for Kieran and others growing up in a manaless world.

The Sage found it intriguing just how far humanity on Earth had progressed with their technological advancements, especially Kieran's shallow explanation of Medicine and Science-based life extension as a whole.

He stroked his long beard thoughtfully–a habitual movement Kieran found he would often do when considering something deeply–then remarked, "Your world's branch of humanity has done surprisingly well for existing in a region of the universe all but left to ruin." But when Kieran asked what he meant, the man refused to elaborate, instead changing the topic to the dungeon outside.

The old man spent quite some time coaxing out details of the many strange things he'd encountered since the whole assimilation began. Kieran recounted the confusing and arduous journey through the tunnels, and his first experience with combat and then death. Before they knew it, both of them had continued chatting away comfortably, as a close teacher and student might.

"So what's to stop this space itself from drifting away into nothingness whilst we're still here? Or connecting to another point in our local space?" Kieran backtracked. He'd been doing his very best to control his curiosity, but as he gradually grasped just how old and knowledgeable the Sage actually was, his visage of stoic acceptance cracked bit by bit.

The wise and far older man had claimed these unique places were pockets of damaged space harnessed by powerful gods with control over spatial laws to use for various purposes.

It turned out that some truly powerful individuals often manipulated them incomprehensibly to create so-called 'pocket realms; that could store entire civilisations inside. This isolation from normal space-time protected the realms from what The Sage referred to as the 'chaos of the heavens' for absurdly long periods. One only had to find the entrance to enter many of these mystical spaces, but others, such as the prison realms, required unique keys and array techniques to gain access.

According to the Sage, Kieran would likely encounter more of these isolated spatial realms when he left the dungeon and began to explore his newly formed world. What they would hold in store for him and the rest of the 13th Heaven's inhabitants, however, remained a total mystery for now.

"Hah, such a thing would be truly rare without any external interference" The Sage barked as if it were obvious. "But there have been many a spatial region that simply vanished from known existence." He explained. "Whether due to natural events or the machinations of others, it would be impossible to tell. That is if said space truly disappeared, however. Sometimes realms become sealed deeper within the many folds of existence, much too hidden for any outsider to discover them" The Sage explained delicately.

Kieran had rarely experienced this level of care for education from his elders, especially one so full of knowledge. There was no feeling of superiority or digs of belittlement from the man, and it allowed Kieran to drop his barriers a little more with each passing moment.

"Let us return to the topic of you, though, my new friend." The old man said with a simple smile that lit his eyes.

"As you have yet to acquire your class from The Divine System, you are a prime candidate for the cultivation technique I received from my greatest mentor and friend." The Sage began.

"But I must first warn you that with this path also lies a terrible danger."

"With each advancement through the ranks of cultivation you progress, you will eventually stand far above the rest of your world. Above even those so-called Chosen of the Gods" he spat the word with disgust.

Kieran raised his eyebrow at the clear contempt for those chosen, but he held his tongue and let the Sage continue.

"In doing so, you will garner greater attention from the many powerful factions and, inevitably, The Gods of the True Divine Lands. Most especially, from those of the perilous Undying Empire who would gladly claim the powerful flame currently burning within your soul for their own nefarious goals." He levelled his eyes at Kieran to make sure he was listening.

"And when you take your first steps through the path of stars, in search of more resources and greater power, they will come for you."

Kieran listened intently to the warnings, using all his willpower to resist that powerful urge to interrupt with another question as his heart beat louder in the silence. Thankfully, The Sage noticed the struggle clearly on his face. The man nodded slightly, encouraging him to speak.

"Sorry" he fidgeted with his hands a little. "When you say God's, you don't mean like mystical, omnipotent beings of old religions, but like…actual people?" Kieran wondered aloud, hearing the disbelief in his own question.

"Hah" the Sage barked, clearly amused by it.

"Be careful boy, for such comments would have you labelled as heretical in all the heavens beyond your own. And I assure you, from personal experience, being a heretic is far from desirable." He announced with finality.

"When the day comes that you find yourself surrounded by foes on all sides, you will need a divine ally or two by your side." He said with a knowing smirk.

"You are mostly correct, though. The path to immortality and higher power leads through the steps of divinity, and all who proclaim themselves as godly or divine were once mortal like yourself. Well, not entirely like you." He corrected himself with a chuckle.

"Though few began as humans, far fewer still kept their humanity intact as they grew in power, and none of those were born to a manaless world such as yours." He said with certainty, but then made a strange face, seemingly distracted by a memory.

"Well, except one rather unique man." His voice dropped as if he should not speak on the matter.

"May he rest in his forefather's lands for eternity" The Sage made a strange hand gesture in the air as though twisting a spiral of air up into the sky with his fingers. Kieran just assumed it to be a sign of respect or remembrance and put it out of his mind as he listened intently.

"But you would do well not to enquire about such things, lest it draw unwanted attention. The steps of divinity have long since been sealed and guarded to protect the balance imposed by the Order of The Heavens." He warned, and with a long gaze tried to convey the seriousness of his words.

The Sage clapped his hands together loudly, stirring Kieran from his meandering thoughts.

"Right, I think that's enough history for you my boy.” His grin did not match the seriousness of his declaration.

“No amount of knowledge and wise rhetoric I can provide will prepare you for this arduous journey toward boundless strength. For the true essence of cultivation is a complete refusal to accept the meagre fate of mortality. It is to push oneself beyond the limits the cosmos would have you settle for, and through struggle and comprehension, transcend.”

“Prepare yourself, Kieran. It's high time I impart upon you the most vital aspects of the Heavenly Demonic Body Art." He announced excitedly.

The Sage shifted where he sat as if preparing himself. "Face away from me first, I shall need to guide your energy for the initial stage, and then etch upon your mind and soul the guiding steps and initial stage forms, much as my mentor did with me many, many years ago."

Kieran quickly scooted around on his butt, but then stopped and gave the Sage a strange frown.

"Erm, you just said demonic, right?" He asked, voice full of caution.

"You promise you're not some evil old monster in the guise of a kind, wise Sage? maybe about to turn me into a soul-sucking puppet or slave?" Kieran said jokingly but with a genuine pang of worry at the ominous name of the technique.

"Young man, remember my words about respect and do not suggest such absurd things.” The man rebutted. “The history of this cultivation method is more ancient than our minds can even grasp, and far beyond even my vast knowledge of the cosmos. I'll also have you know that I deeply abhor slavery of all kinds, so do not fret, though many of the powerful factions do not agree with such basic ethics."

Turning away from the old man, Kieran was still trying to wrap his head around being offered a real cultivation legacy to learn, and not just some basic bottom-of-the-barrel sect's common techniques.

Heavenly Demon Body Art? It sounded like a genuinely mystical and ancient cultivation method to him, just like the ones he'd read ridiculous stories about as a teenager. Despite his worries, though, Kieran found he believed the words of this unique old man more than he would any stranger.

If the Sage had been an evil person, he could have easily destroyed or claimed Kieran's soul already if he wished to, that much was clear from their first interactions. For now, he would just have to trust and accept the man's teachings until shown otherwise.

"I'm sorry. I mean, all of this barely makes any sense to me, mate. I was just coming to grips with mana and magic, and now this cultivation stuff? It’s all far beyond any video game or book lore I'm used to." He tried to explain.

"So, if you promise me it's not evil or anything dodgy, I'll believe you" He said, trying to express just how lost he was in the endless torrent of new information.

The Sage granted him a meaningful nod and smile, as though he could see the worry that plagued him. "Fear not, my friend. I swear on my dear wife's grave, may the stars hold her." . Then, with a hand gesture, prompted Kieran to turn around whilst he continued speaking.

"Unlike the mystical arts used by many of the factions, this cultivation method is far more than just a basis for developing a core and climbing the stages of power. Each of its ten total steps will push you beyond any notion of strength you can fathom." The old man continued.

"For with each stage of power you grasp, more of the deeply hidden secrets of the greater cosmos will become apparent to you, as you become irrevocably entwined within them."

Kieran's ears perked up at the man's convincing sales pitch, and as he listened, he started to consider that he might be heading down a truly interesting path in life for the first time. Perhaps if he mastered this ancient technique, he could become someone of real worth in the new world outside. Instead of just a nine-to-five slave struggling to satisfy his own needs and wants.

"First, though, I shall help guide your energy to form the initial stage of a dantian.” The Sage continued explaining and Kieran quelled his delusions of grandeur. There would be time to aspire for greatness when he actually had some real strength.

“This will be your main repository for power, fueling your life until the day you die or ascend beyond the need for it" The Sage began with a great seriousness to his tone.

"From there, I must carefully engrave your soul with the scriptures and fractal array that will allow you to tap into the hereditary teachings of our predecessors."

"Predecessors?" Kieran interrupted, only to turn away when he saw the look of annoyance on the sage's face.

"Yes, Kieran. There have been previous students of this path over the aeons, but even my powerful mentor only ever progressed to the sixth step of the path. You may even meet him in the future as you develop your daos to a high enough level. If you do though, tread carefully with your words, for he is not as young nor understanding as I."

"It's imperative that you show him the utmost respect and obedience at all costs."

Kieran nodded, not entirely sure how someone could be so old that The Sage would be considered young in comparison, let alone how he might meet a person who'd been dead for millennia.

"And before you ask, I myself only reached the fourth step before the inquisitors stripped my cultivation base from me" he rattled the intricate black shackles on his wrists to make a point.

"So, after today, we most likely will not meet again" He added grimly.

"Which leads me back to you." He said, placing both palms flat against the middle of Kieran's bare back.

Once we complete our task here and you regain full access to the System, my hope is that the System will acknowledge you as an initial stage cultivator and provide you with a superior class than it would have previously." He added.

"Though progressing past the immortal realm will still be a problem, by then you should have roughly a thousand years to find your way before you even dream of surpassing the inner heaven's limits."

A thousand years? Noooo fucking way! Kieran couldn't believe what he was hearing and his mouth moved before his brain.

"Do you mean I could actually become immortal one day, like…seriously?" He blurted in disbelief. Embarrassingly, he even briefly pictured himself flying around on a magical sword for a moment.

The Sage answered with a stern look that suggested he drew tired of repeatedly stopping for more questions.

"Assuming you don't die before then, which is a large assumption considering the turmoil your development would cause." He smirked.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"But yes, you'll find that all species live considerably longer the more power they begin to accumulate. You could even go beyond the paltry realm of immortality and join those beings who will survive long enough to witness the end of this cosmos."

"That’s…crazy” Kieran murmured in astonishment, then remembered himself. “Sorry for interrupting again." he smiled awkwardly. "But, I just always thought I'd be lucky to make it past fifty years, ya know? Let alone hundreds or thousands.”

“What were you saying, sorry?"

"Your curiosity is completely understandable. The mysteries of the great cosmos are practically unending, after all. I can feel our time is growing shorter, however, so please focus on your internal energy and let us begin." The Sage said, pressing his hands firmly into Kieran's back again.

"Yes, Sage Everwinter." Kieran confirmed, using the man's title and family name for the first time. "Just tell me what I need to do."

His new teacher nodded in approval at his respectful obedience.

"Start by closing your eyes and relaxing your mind, for the mind contains the will that drives all." The Sage Said softly, pausing a few long moments for Kieran’s benefit before he continued. "Good, now allow your heart to open freely, letting all feelings come and go without resistance."

Thanks to his previous experiences with guided meditation therapy, Kieran almost effortlessly slipped into a peaceful state of calmness. Each word the Sage commanded lured his awareness deeper into the nothingness of his mind until all he knew was the warm touch of his new mentor's hands on his back and the rushing sensation of his slow breath.

Amidst the endless darkness he sunk into, Kieran began to sense a vague disturbance of energy from somewhere nearby.

Below? No…What is that?

The tiny thought rippled outwards in a wave of darkness, like a pebble in an endless lake on the most pitch of nights. Silky sheets of obsidian undulated with life all around him, and the familiar sight alerted him that this was more than just what existed in the mind's eye.

Despite the lack of light or physical sensation, he could still noticeably feel his new mentor's hands against his back as they thrummed with energy.

This new energy that radiated through his back felt more alive and vibrant than any mana he'd experienced until now, as though it were something entirely different altogether. The more he allowed it to wash through him, however, the more familiar it seemed.

Only when The Sage's energy saturated his entire body with thin tendrils did he realise just how eerily similar it felt to the purple energy that almost killed him back in the dungeon. Despite the uncanny similarity, his sense of danger was silent, and the energy itself did not interact with his mana at all.

"Now breathe into your dantian" The Sage's distant voice said, as though spoken across a long echoing corridor.

My dantian? Oh right!

Assuming the Sage was referring to the strange core in his chest, he focused his breath toward it with a nudge. When that first pull of air began, however, the dormant black bead in the centre of his chest exploded with a burning rage.

Something about the sage's energy trying to manipulate him from within awoke the dominating will of the mysterious orb from its slumber. The mysterious orb made it clear now that it would not be controlled nor possessed by anyone but Kieran. It burst out a wave of mana that violently sought to expel the sage's energy from its domain.

The Sage let out a small choking gasp that disturbed Kieran. Even as deep in his mediation as he was, the sound was noticeably pathetic and wet to his ears. The familiar wheezing cough of old age filled Kieran with worry until the Sage spoke up.

"Relax, my boy, I mean you no harm. So please, retract your mana and do not fight my qi, I have not the strength to continue if you do." He whispered desperately.

Kieran wasn't sure exactly what happened, but he sensed the black orb had automatically resisted the Sage's energy all by itself.

He called it qi? God damn, qi is real too?…shit, okay…just relax, you stupid little orb!

And surprisingly, at the intent alone, the buzzing animosity of the bead quickly subsided, allowing the Sage to continue his work undisturbed.

"Thank you," he began seriously, as what Kieran now knew to be qi crawled around in dense threads that he could see and feel as clear as day. "Now, pay close attention to the channels through which my energy flows."

Suddenly the hands on his back shuddered slightly, and the Sage let out a slight gasp.

"This is?…oh my" he exclaimed, then remained silent a little longer before carrying on as though nothing happened.

"These lines I am tracing now are your major qi meridians. They lay dormant within every mortal, but with enough energy circulation and mana enhancement, you can gradually develop channels deep enough to facilitate a true foundation for boundless power."

Kieran focused on the man's words as best he could, but continued to be entranced by the bizarre sensation of the qi tendrils as they continued worming through his body.

These linier streams of what he now knew to be qi flowed around his major blood vessels and ran alongside his bones in a tapestry of twisting lines that felt more like a river of ice water trickling through him than magical energy.

As he focused on the appearance of the overall patterns, he found them to be somewhat reminiscent of an anatomy diagram he might see back in science lessons, but instead of the human body's blood vessels, it displayed a whole new intricate system.

"My qi is setting the basic foundation for your dantian and meridians, but from today onwards you must do your utmost best to reinforce and grow them, both with mana and qi.”

“We will build the foundations of your cultivation path upon this, so be sure you do not become lax." he insisted.

"Only by imbuing these channels with a balanced fusion of each energy will you truly be unstoppable in your ascension." The Sage announced as his energy began to cycle smoothly between Kieran's core and navel in a closed circuit.

With each completed repetition, Kieran felt his body come to life with energy far beyond what he'd experienced back in the dungeon.

The cycling repeated for what felt like hours, gradually reinforcing and filling the major channels of his body.

Not even when he'd overloaded himself with mana and surpassed his own natural limits had he felt so full of raw energy. Now, it was as if he could do anything, be anything. The world itself could be remade in his image, shaped by a will greater than itself.

The black orb awoke then at his vague desire. It thrummed with elemental energy for a brief moment before it flashed ablaze with a purple fire that lit up the dark world of his mind. The blackness all around him became substantial and real, and as he reached out an experimental hand, a thick wall of matted obsidian pressed back against his palm.

"Kieran! What are you doing?" The Sage roared, voice full of panicked confusion. For reasons he couldn't explain, though, Kieran didn't want to stop. He felt utterly compelled to push beyond this peculiar boundary the moment he saw it in his mind's eye.

With his fingers as claws, he pierced directly through the thick veil of blackness with unbelievable ease, and immediately felt something soft wrap itself around the embedded hand.

He pulled his arm out just in time to see a pale white light fade into the flesh of his vaguely outlined palm.

Then, shining through his flesh like a torch through paper, it rushed eagerly through his arm and up to his flame-wrapped black core.

Kiera filled to the brim with blazing purple energy as the white light mysteriously stoked the flame in his core and something noticeably changed in the centre of his being.

"How is this possible?" The Sage blurted from behind him. The surprise in his voice almost pulled Kieran's thoughts away from the intense light show occurring within himself.

A small stream of pure white light flowed down his meridians to his navel. Once there, it seemed to find a home within a small cluster of the sage's qi, where it fully merged with his manabody.

As Kieran's eyes opened and the sensations of reality flooded back to him, he felt something was off.

"Erm, Sage?" He turned back to the man, puzzled at the wide-eyed expression his wrinkly face bore. Kieran only became further confused when the old man's demeanour switched and howling chuckles began to pour unbidden from his mouth.

"You can commune with the divine system even within these sealed spaces! Such a thing shouldn't be possible" he blurted between merry laughs.

"I've heard tales of this occurring, but even in my many years, I never witnessed anyone who could do so." He finished with a pat on Kieran's shoulder, hard enough that it jarred his bones.

"You know what that was?" Kieran asked, a smile creeping through his words due to the infectious laughter of the old man.

"I wasn't sure that was actually real until I woke up. What did I do?"

The Sage removed his hands then, and patted Kieran on the back sincerely.

"Be patient" the Sage huffed languidly, as though his very existence were running on fumes now.

“You have just sparked the first mote of life-flame within your cultivation core. None below the third tier should harbour such potent life essence, but it appears the divine system has granted you a great bounty for your previous tribulations.”

Despite his constant attempts to explain everything, Kieran found himself even more unsure of what he'd done, and why the system would reward him for whatever it was he’d seen in that darkness.

"Just relax, and take a minute to observe your meridians. When you feel ready, steadily channel energy into your new dantian to complete the initial formation.."

Stretching side to side, Kieran relaxed his limbs and took a moment to just breathe and take notice of the strange sensations filling his body. The extreme changes it had once more undergone, with the Sage's assistance, left him feeling somewhere between an extreme caffeine rush and the hyper lucidity of class-A drugs.

"Now, allow yourself to merge and move with the guiding will embedded there." He gestured with a hand then, and Kieran slowly stood as instructed.

Ever since first entering the strange void of this prison space, Kieran hadn't felt quite himself. More akin to a piece of paper within the grasp of a strong breeze, he had virtually no control over himself let alone the space he found himself within. But now as he stood there taking in the sensation around him, he realised this place was very far from peaceful or empty.

All around him, he could feel bizarre disturbances within the very fabric of the world. Small ruptures in existence that permitted no matter to pass through sparked in and out of existence. He couldn't guess what it was at all, so he focused his senses on the nearest minuscule rupture.

There was definitely something familiar within the crack and it urged him to keep digging deeper, to violate the very laws of space and peek within.

The moment he attempted to sense beyond the threshold, however, an ominous sensation of death drifted across his heart and he immediately retracted his intent.

"Focus, my boy." The Sage wheezed.

"Let your meridians guide your breath…until you find your first step"

So Kieran did as he was told. Clearly, now was not the time to be distracted by bizarre holes in reality that he wasn’t entirely sure were even real.

He relaxed his mind and let the vague focal point of clarity he commanded rest upon the most vibrant of his meridians. Running straight down from the base of his dark core where it connected to his newly formed dantian, the channel pulsed with mana and what he now knew to be qi.

When he focused on the thrumming channel of energy, each cyclic revolution of energy burned brighter in his vision, gradually filling him with the energetic urge to use this building power. Beyond any thoughts and desires, every inch of his body began to thrum in unison with the meridian's growing undulations.

Without any intention, his breath moved naturally as it wished, washing through him in waves that synchronised with the meridian. He allowed the pulsing to move into his limbs without resistance, and it quickly began to guide him into a flowing movement.

He absent-mindedly raised both hands to his chest in a fluid circular motion where they met, palms together.

Resembling a kata or flow seen only in the eastern martial arts movies he would binge on lonely Saturday nights, Kieran stood feet shoulder-width apart, palms turned upwards at his waist.

Cool breath drew into his stomach without effort and instilled him with a bodily precision far beyond his own.

Allowing the unknown force that came from within to guide him, he began moving with the simple grace of a paintbrush across canvas.

One foot swept forward across the ground with such light contact that he felt as though it were floating on something other than a hard floor. His right hand raised to the sky, palm up, pressing at the air above.

"Between heaven and earth, there is nought but the dao" the sage whispered from behind. "It fills all things, for it is all things." His deep voice reverberated throughout the surrounding space and into his bones.

A trembling echo of each word repeated inside Kieran’s very soul, and each syllable rattled his main meridian with energy fluctuations like an ethereal guitar string being plucked within him. Frozen in a half pose, Kieran searched for the meaning in the Sage’s words as they floated on the edge of his comprehension.

"The land obeys, the heavens part." The Sage announced, and Kieran mumbled along in tandem without realising.

His entire mind became entranced in the mysterious form that his body was naturally following. As well as his main meridian, where this guiding force had seemingly originated from.

"Cleave the sky!" they both chanted in unison. Kieran swung his arm down as he spoke, hand shaped like a knife's edge. But the movement contained such grace that the air itself seemed to part before he even touched it.

"Subjugate all tyrants" a strange choir of voices rang out together. Every intonation shook the space like the pounding of a vast drum.

With the next sonorous beat, Kieran stomped a foot down on the empty space beneath him and launched both his fists out like immovable pillars.

The world itself rattled and trembled around his every movement, yet Kieran remained peacefully oblivious to it all. Not to mention the cracks in space that spread out in a weblike formation from his tattered shoes.

Despite the lack of any sort of noticeable atmosphere, he felt a cool wind brush softly against his skin. A tight pressure immediately followed the relief against every inch of his body, but as soon as he remembered to breathe, it passed through him unimpeded.

While he'd been moving mindlessly through these strange movements, the flame in his chest was undergoing some kind of transformation. The ethereal breeze seemed to fan his inner flame as it blew harder, causing the cyclic heat to circulate faster and faster between his core and dantian.

"Again, Kieran!" The Sage commanded urgently, as though everything depended on this next moment.

So Kieran inhaled deeply, settling his faint focus on his cycling energy as he reset his posture.

"The land obeys..." he whispered to himself as he stepped forward. The previous cracks in the transparent ground fractured further with a resounding boom.

"The heavens part…" he raised his right hand up high like a ceremonial blade that could split the very world.

"Cleave the sky!" Kieran’s voice echoed oddly with a deep reverberation, then with a strong exhale he suddenly lunged forward and brought the open palm down on empty space.

A veritable whirlwind blew around his arm as he focused on slicing through everything he could see with the edge of his palm.

Kieran was so fixated by the movement and chants that he didn't notice the look of pure joy and astonishment on the sage's face as it broke through a grimace of pain.

The last line of the strange mantra seemed to speak through him then, originating from somewhere buried deep inside his very soul as he drew back both hands into fists and yelled.

"Subjugate all tyrants!"

The booming roar exploded all around him and even through his fists as they both shot forward with a wave of unbridled power that was visible to the naked eye.

For a brief moment, the world froze in pure silence, and then the entire prison space trembled from the shock of his violent intent and commanding spirit. It was as if the very fabric of the entire pocket realm did not dare attempt to contain such a boundless will.

Kieran stood so statue still, fists held out before him, that to outside observers he might actually appear frozen in time if not for the wildly flickering purple flames that occasionally leapt unbidden from his entire body. Not even his heart could be heard beating as the entire space around him erupted with cacophonous rumbling.

Something clicked inside him then, and the raging inferno in his chest and dantian stilled all at once, matching a sudden calm that spread throughout the prison space.

The inexplicably bright layer of violet flame rushed outwards to fill his entire energy body and then pour freely around him in a strange aura, but the next moment it vanished, and he couldn't understand why.

His unspoken question answered itself when he took a long breath and looked inwards again. The purple fire wasn’t gone, it had instead condensed deep inside him for reasons beyond his understanding. And now he discovered the flames simmering in tightly condensed rings around the edges of his two cores. Yet, despite the size of the flame shrinking considerably, the heat it released only grew more intense.

Kieran scanned his newly formed dantian, sat slightly behind and below his belly button. The formerly small mote of energy now radiated a pure white light that pulsed with life. Each fluctuation of this light moved perfectly in tandem with every beat of his heart, giving the impression of some organic magical orb.

Looking closer, it almost seemed as if the white pulses were fueling the purple flame to burn hotter and more consistently. Meanwhile, the core within his chest was still as black as the darkest coal, despite the identical halo of simmering purple flames encompassing its diameter.

Everything about his body felt incredible as he flexed his arms and legs experimentally. He felt truly strong, far stronger than he could ever be even if he'd dedicated his entire life to gaining strength in the gym. Now his body was full of a unique power leaps and bounds beyond the scope of humanity's natural potential.

So intently focused on the drastic changes to his internal energy body, Kieran failed to hear the whispering voices that crawled through the air. Only when the pounding beat of a great drum of cosmic scales rang through his very bones did he raise his head and look around him.

Nothing looked to have changed, but he sensed something amiss for reasons he couldn't explain.

A horrible sinking sensation in his gut solidified into a bottomless pit when he turned to see the Sage lying in an unmoving heap on the ground.

The tattered dark robes splayed out in smouldering shreds all around, like scattered feathers.