Physical therapy sucks! I understand I’m not supposed to let my body wither away. But man, does the pain ever stop? I’ll never be an ab model in a magazine. And I’m okay with that. I wouldn’t mind being able to run again, though.

  Jordan’s Journal Entry after a particularly difficult physical rehab appointment

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  Settling into my posture for meditation, with my eyes closed, I allowed my body and mind to relax. Once I felt my muscles release tension, and my frustrations melt away, I started to mentally picture myself growing stronger. Taking that image of growth and strength, I dove deeper with the new ability I never had on Earth; I flexed my will to view the inner world of my Spirit. Just as my physical body has been remade throughout my recent journey, my Spirit was reborn.

  Looking around, I start to notice subtle changes and several drastic ones. What would my next steps in advancing be?

  Where do I begin? I know I need to create nodes or focal points for the channels to connect and flow around my body and Spirit, but beyond that, I don’t know where to place them.

  I spent time letting my focus wander and exploring my Spirit body. It was fascinating for a guy from Earth who loved reading books, comics, and anime to live a life now filled with so many of those elements. I sat for years as a teen with a broken, cancer-riddled body, and now having superhuman strength, magic-like powers, and potential for so much more.

  The first change I noticed was the firmness and density I could perceive with my Spirit. It seemed dense, like a flexed muscle. The view was transparent, like an X-ray, and there wasn’t much inside, but the feeling when I tried to press my senses through was thicker but yet supple, like ballistic gel—the type of thing people would shoot for target practice with guns to see how the bullets impacted. However, rather than gel, it was a swirling mix of black and gold Arc and Zan.

  In my Spirit, I could move the Arcana and Zancara around as if there were no resistance, yet their substance was thicker, like free-flowing honey. There were no channels, and I still didn’t know why I needed them.

  Another noticeable change was that my core continually drew a slow trickle of Source in from outside my body. It wasn’t visible when drawing from the Base Source level. From my notifications and Core integration, I knew that it was pulling from Hunger’s level of Source, and it appeared directly in the Core inside me.

  My Core capacity felt almost topped off, and I wondered what would happen when it was filled. Would it continue to draw and then grow or condense? I felt the process wouldn’t be passive, but I didn’t know, so I’d have to experiment and observe.

  I focused my will intensely on my Core as if I was zooming in and holding it firmly by my intention alone. I started to feel and sense the outside shell of the sphere. It was solid, and my senses were utterly blind to the interior. I tried harder but gained nothing that helped me peer into my core’s depths. I only got an understanding of how full it was.

  Still, the core was mine; I had a deep connection to it that told me I had fully control and use of it. So it didn’t matter too much to me that I couldn’t understand everything about it yet.

  I pulled gently, willing my Core to gather. It responded to my desire without a moment of delay.

  The experience was different, though. Instead of the presence of Base-level spirit creatures, my vision was partially transported to the Source level of Bonds, where creatures like Hunger are called Authorities that embody a Law. I say partially transported because my Spirit wasn’t there like before; just my mind became aware of the location inside Hunger I drew from.

  I was going to get a better understanding of Hunger in my quest for power. I had no doubt my fate was tied to that behemoth’s, but I was still convinced I would be no one’s slave or puppet. I would earn my place and power even if I were just an insect on the scales of power now. Someday, I would rise. For now, I was drinking from the Hunger udders and just praying it would strengthen me more than it poisoned me.

  My current sense of diving into Bonds and meeting Hunger also differed in that I wasn’t Spiritually there at his Core, but it felt like I was in the outer realm inside Hunger’s giant body. The creatures of the depths swam amidst Hunger’s inner ocean, themselves subjects of and subject to Hunger’s influence and power.

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  I marveled at their size, remembering they, too, dwarfed me, and as I gathered, I watched them glide through the depths; most were sleek-bodied with jaws more enormous compared to their proportions than Earthly fish would possess.

  After a bit, I felt a fullness increase to the point I needed to stop gathering.

  My mental awareness returned to my Spirit body inside my personal Spirit Space. I was no longer gathering; I wasn’t even accessing Base, the lowest level of Source, and I realized there were no Base creatures. I was alone with my Core and Spirit body floating in the peaceful nothingness of my inner world. My core glowed brightly, potentially an indication of it reaching a capacity. I didn’t know but could only guess.

  So how do I grow beyond where I’m at now, if I get kicked from gathering? This isn’t exactly like the books I remember reading. There is so much to learn.

  After letting my senses in this place explore my body, I began to imagine what a mana circulatory system would look like. Veins to channel the mana like blood in the body? Or would they look entirely different, like circuits in a machine or plumbing in a building? Also, what would the nodes be for? Like gates to control the flow? Or would they be like electric generators at a dam? I considered asking Skit. I was honestly just guessing and groping in the dark.

  But there was still an excitement in me. A desire to grow, to learn, and to advance. I would need to put in time, effort, and work.

  No time like the present but I need to have some direction.

  I got up and stretched. Not knowing how long I’d been meditating, I looked out the windows and saw the sunlight still shining. My best guess was I’d been focused for an hour, but hiding my system and not seeing a clock around, I wasn’t sure.

  Skit, I know I said you were on a break, but could you send Eld a message? Tell him I would like to train. I didn’t receive a reply but took the time to change into training clothes in my room.

  Before I could bug Skit about his silence and ineffectiveness, I heard a knock at my door.

  It was Eld, who I followed down and out to the garden.

  “Eld, I apologize, but my AI has taken my request to be silent rather seriously. I didn’t know if my instructions for a message to you were ever sent.”

  “My reply was simply to wait for here, so there is no need to worry. But your AI seems to be executing your original request very strictly. You might try to alter that request until the time becomes essential next week. Minimize your reliance but not yet cut it off completely,” Eld advised as he led the way into the garden. I went to the chest with gear to enter the TG.

  “No need for the gear. I’m going to train you to create some of your own. Typically, this would come later, but I can sense your Core is formed, and I believe you should be able to form a stable enough construct to protect yourself,” Eld explained and waived for me to stand in the sand. I followed his direction.

  This is what you will work towards. Standing a little away, I watched an unmoving Eld leak Arcana from his body. Slowly, at first, it seemed to ooze out of his body, like a golden sweat that pooled and clung to his form. Then he quickened the outpouring, and the depth increased on top of his body.

  Soon, he was covered, head to toe, in a golden liquid. Suddenly, the shiny, reflective liquid went dull and matte. The smooth liquid formed into angles that looked like a futuristic version of a knight, very similar to an anime power suit.

  He grew in height from roughly six feet to about 8 feet as the amor grew to encapsulate his form. He turned side to side, showing me the amor from different angles. Then he squatted down and jumped up 5 meters in the air, doing a flip and landing back on the ground.

  “You are welcome to try for yourself, or if you have questions, you may ask them now or after you make your attempt,” Eld spoke, his voice projecting as if nothing was covering his face.

  The spectacle was exciting for me to see. I had been seeing sight after sight of new and powerful abilities. Yet seeing Eld “suit up” so quickly and in a form that exuded a powerful presence left me like a little boy seeing his action hero become real.

  Eld kept his armored form but took a seat before me.

  “Begin with picturing your Spirit,” Eld instructed me. “Once you see your Spirit form, imagine it wrapped in a malleable layer of Arcana, like a thin bubble clinging to your body.”

  I closed my eyes and quickly saw my Spirit. Then I imagined the Arcana inside leaking like sweat through my form’s surface. It was working just as I imagined, not taking any additional will to form.

  The drops clung to me and collected in pools that started gathering and connecting. The gold fluid flowed like mercury on my skin, both in the Spiritual view and on my physical body.

  “Now, increase the volume and add structure, starting at your feet. Firmly picture boots over one foot at a time,” Eld said, guiding me.

  With my eyes shut, I could still sense my physical body and not be too distracted to follow my mentor’s guidance. I increased the Arcana and pictured a boot solidifying around my right foot. I smiled as it slowly formed, and I felt my foot lift off the ground an inch, then two as the boot formed under and around my foot.

  I suddenly leaned slightly to my left and tried to catch my balance by quickly matching my left foot with a boot.

  Unfortunately, I was too slow and began to fall over. Losing my concentration, the Arcana also lost cohesion and fell away from my physical and spiritual bodies. In the real world, the Arcana quickly vaporized, like mist in the wind, before I even caught myself as I fell to the ground.

  My strength and reflexes were still beyond human limits, and I landed in a balanced single left-handed pushup. I used my left hand to spring up to my feet. I was frustrated, but not enough to diminish the excitement of what I could hope to do soon. Standing there bouncing from the ball of one foot then the other, my smile only grew.

  This is so freaking amazing! Yeah, I failed that attempt but I’ve got time.