I appeared back in my Ki realm once my meditation skill activated. Bolts of orange energy danced through the air, and globs of liquid floated around floated aimlessly. Bolts of lightning smashed into the platform at rhythmic intervals. So all I had to do here was learn how to manipulate Ki. It shouldn’t be too hard, hopefully. I walked across the air and onto the stone platform. A faint orange fog hung in the air and pressed down into the surrounding area.

The energy crackled and vibrated as it parted for me, allowing for me to sit down on the foundation. As soon as I entered the area, it immediately wrapped itself around me, threatening to push me to the ground. But I kept on until I reached the center and sat. The jagged rocks bit through my pants and crunched under my weight.

Now that I was here, I could see the rough outline of my body in the sky, and a circle of seven padlocks sat on my chest, and that hazy mist extended outwards for as far as the eye could see. I looked around and listened to the crackling of an unseen power. Now, how would I do this?

I crossed my legs and closed my eyes, and cleared my mind, which was far easier than I thought it would be, given the amount of trouble that I had getting this skill in the first place. I let out a sigh and focus on the power that existed in this area. Now, how was I going to do this? I can’t just force it as I did with my soul.

I took a deep breath and focused on the power, and tried to pull it towards me. However, it ended up ignoring me and drifted through my attempts to wrangle it. Finally, I opened my eyes and watched the waves of energy as they lazily soared through the air. However, the bolts of power picked up in intensity and dug small craters into the stone platform. Small globs of debris rained down from the air and crashed into me, though it didn’t really hurt all that much.

I stared at the bolts of lightning for a moment as I tried to work out a plan. If forcing it wouldn’t work, what if I tried to let one of them impact me? It must be filled with Ki, so if I let one hit me fill me, shouldn’t it fill me with Ki and speed up the process a bit? I must be going slightly mad if I am just going to lie there and get struck by lighting.

I can’t say that I am too keen on more pain, especially not after the whole soul-fracturing incident. I just don’t have time to sit there and figure out how to do this any other way. I clenched my fist since I decided and approached the area with a fair amount of trepidation. This was a bad idea, but I didn’t have the patience just to sit here and meditate on using my Ki.

I sat down and clenched back the fear that was twisting in my stomach. This is gonna hurt like hell. I could feel it in my bones. I swear a part of me is becoming a masochist. I held my breath and counted my heartbeat. On the seventh, all of my nerves lit on fire, and then I heard the peal of lighting fill my ears. My body locked up, and I collapsed as I lost control. The pain was still unbearable even with the pain resistance stat.

Why the fuck did I think that was a good idea? I writhed on the ground as my cells absorbed the power that coursed through my veins. Then, finally, I twisted and rolled away just before another bolt of power dug into the stone. The pain still bit at my nerves, but it was a little more bearable. But with each passing second, the power within me welled and pressed against my insides.

With each heartbeat, I felt like I was on the cusps of exploding. I fought back the feeling, yet it refused to subside. I struggled and fought to contain it, but it was a losing battle. I knew that this was a bad idea. Why did I have to be so stupid? I forced myself up and glanced around the room, desperate to release the buildup of power inside of me. I wrapped my arms around myself and glanced at the padlocks that hung above me. They must be the key to stop this.

But how was I going to get it out? What if I treated it the same way that I treat the soul in my medium? I closed my eyes and focused on the tidal wave in my chest, and pushed it out. It resisted at first, but I fought back with everything that I had. But much to my dismay, it didn’t budge, and I panicked.

I didn’t know what to do or how even to fix this. My eyes flung open, and I glanced around like an animal locked in a cage as the pain grew sharper and my vision blurred. I collapsed onto my knees and grasped my head, regretting this decision with every part of my being. I focused inwards once again and tried to change my approach. If I couldn’t force it, I would guide it.

I took short, quivering breaths since it was beyond hard to breathe and tried to construct a plan. I would have to try to shift the power’s path and get it concentrated elsewhere, but how would I guide it? My pain-addled mind tried to come up with a solution but to no avail.

The pressure in my chest slowly changed from ballooning outwards to a steady staccato of pulses that lit every nerve with searing pain. I fought and struggled as it reached new heights, though it paled compared to what I felt with the soul fracturing. Eventually, I fell onto the stone platform in a twitching heap as the power wracked my body before I passed out.

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Based on your previous choices, you have unlocked a Ki aspect:

The Aspect of Lightning: Instead of slowly approaching an unknown, you chose instead to fling yourself into it. With each choice, you face it head-on, often looking for the easiest way to defeat it. Sometimes, however, the easiest choice may not be the best one.

All Ki-based abilities now have increased speed, and power, at the cost of some defense and increased stamina usage.

Titles Earned:

Walker of Two Paths: Instead of embracing one aspect of three, you instead have taken two. Will you continue to walk this path?

Effect unknown

Force of Will II: You continue to show your will by subjecting yourself to unimaginable pain.

-Increased pain tolerance

-+2 base will

Ki Saturation, lightning aspect.

While meditating in your foundation, a bolt of pure Ki lightning struck you, filling your cells with purified Ki.

Base increase of +2 to all physical traits.

Plus, a flat increase to your overall perception

You now have Ki manipulation I

I woke up in the courtyard, quickly dismissing the screen that obscured my vision. I felt stronger than I ever had before. The world felt crisper, and I could even more clearly see the dust that glided through the air and the rays of light. All the surrounding colors were far more vibrant and saturated with colors I have never even seen before.

I sat up and rubbed my head, surprised at the fact that I didn’t really feel all that bad. Maybe a few aches, but nothing more than that, surprisingly. I looked around and noticed that the movements were much more fluid than before. Aaron was to my right, still, with his legs crossed. A hazy orange glow came from his body and cast a faint glow on the grey stones under him.

Kharon was busy humming to himself and playing with some fire and water that danced between his fingertips, which made me slightly jealous. But at least I had my soul powers and Ki.

Kharon tore his gaze from his magic and glanced at me. With this improved vision, I could see various indents and scratches on his bones. “Oh, so you ‘re finally awake.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled to myself and stretched out. My muscles felt strange. Like they were springs that were ready to fire at any moment while simultaneously being limber. It was an intoxicating feeling. Maybe I should have spent more time in the gym if this was what it felt like to be healthy.

He stared at me for a moment before he mashed his teeth together. “I am very disappointed in you.” His words rang in my ears for a moment as a wave of confusion washed over me.

“Why? What did I do?” I brought my legs back to my chest and glanced at him as dozens of thoughts danced around my mind.

“I can’t believe you were dumb enough to sit in the path of a Ki lighting. Why would you do something so moronic?!? You could have died.” I swear I could hear anger through his monotonous words.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what to do, and I got frustrated trying to meditate it out since you didn’t tell me how else to do it.” I shot back, instantly on the defensive.

“Calixa, you need to practice restraint and better judgment. I shouldn’t have to tell you not to sit in the way of a lightning bolt. But, you also have to realize that all of our lives are intertwined with yours. If you were to perish, we would all go with you. It’s not just about you but all of us.” He mashed his teeth together, emphasizing his words.

His words struck a nerve, and immediately I felt guilty. He was right, of course. I was a little impatient and jumped ahead without thinking. “Yes, Kharon, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about all of that. I was just trying to get stronger quickly, so I can protect myself and everything else here.” I wrapped my arms around my knees and glanced away from him, wallowing in my shame.

“I’m not all that mad. I can’t change what happened there, just so long as you know the mistakes you could have made. As for the rest, let us worry about it. The bosses know what is on the line and can be brought back to life. You can’t. We need you so we can exist. So please, Calixa, rely on us, as much as we rely on you, okay?” I felt his boney hand on my shoulder, and his words took a seemingly softer tone.

I nodded my head and glanced in his direction once again, choosing to focus on the buildings behind him, however. “I understand; I’ll do my best from now on, Kharon.” My reply was meek since I was still far too embarrassed to look directly at him. Well, only partially embarrassed, mostly ashamed of my actions.

A short second later, a stinging pain spread across my forehead, causing my head to jerk back. I shot a glare towards Kharon, who was the culprit of my pain, as he pulled his hand away from me. “Good, now that I have your attention, you still have some training to do with the lieutenant, yes?”

I rubbed my forehead, trying to massage out the pain from the unnaturally powerful flick. “Yeah, I suppose I should get to that,” I mumbled angrily to myself as I stood up and saw that Aaron was standing there menacingly.