Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water

Chapter 202: End of the First Water Trial

When Lassim finally recreated and received the fiftieth rune, a massive change occurred within his inner heart world.

A powerful explosion of water elemental mana undulated out as all the runes above his Soul Crystal and Mari’s at the same time, converged and merged together.

It was like collecting all the pieces of a puzzle and finally putting them together. The runes melded, releasing waves of water mana that pulsed outward, tempering Lassim’s body and heart realm. The pressure he had felt building in him and making him feel "full" was not finally trying to expand the space’s sturdiness and prepare it for something.

The runes released a loud clicking sound as the last one fell into place. They transformed into a giant rune in the shape of a circle with a flowing and lifelike wave in the center.

It slowly rose and floated higher and higher above his Soul Crystal for a moment before suddenly shattering into billions of tiny identical versions. These tiny runes exploded outward, merging with the fabric of laws within the void of his heart world.

Lassim watched as the runes shot towards the void space within his realm, and for the briefest of moments, spotted a glowing "net" that encompassed the entire boundary of his heart world as the runes merged with it.

The net was the most dazzling and incomprehensible thing he’d ever witnessed in his life. Even looking at the gods with his bare eyes felt incomparable to the lines that made up the existence of that net. It was like each line was a scroll of every language that has ever existed and will exist in the future.

It felt like he stared straight into the source of all the elements he was familiar with and yet countless dozens more that he could not recognize.

The azure flash that had exposed the net then caused it to fade from his sight, but a sharp pain followed and pierced his brain. His comprehension struggled to grasp what he had just witnessed, forgetting it entirely like he’d never seen it at all. Yet, he still vaguely remembered and knew whatever he saw was profoundly significant.

The pain in his head was just too intense to remember or think clearly.

A split second later as the runes finished merging with his heart world, he felt his body slowly being tempered by a rippling flow of water mana. It wasn’t painful. If anything, it was soothing, like a relaxing massage.

His inner heart realm experienced the same sensation, removing the piercing pain and changing it to make it crystal clear. His advanced speed of thinking suddenly felt less burdensome, as if his brain was receiving an undulating massage and a ton of weights or shackles were removed.

Lassim felt like his mind had never been more calm and sharp in his entire life, as if a wave of fog had lifted.

As he took stock of his internal situation, he could innately sense the connection to the rune and understood that this was the main effect of what was called the "Tidal Rune." That was the rune he had just created and absorbed.

It was a strengthening and empowering advanced rune of the Goddess Ava’s creation, the reward for a participant’s dedication to learning and strong comprehension within the first trial, and the key to the next trial. Only those with enough comprehension could create and use the rune.

A certain amount of willpower and spirit sense was needed, and Lassim luckily passed this first test with flying colors.

Lassim felt a deep clarity settle over his mind as one more change occurred. His inner space gave him a feeling that it had become more tangible, more real.

It still was just a cavity for mana storage within his body, but whereas before it had felt like something more of a mental projection or imagination, it now felt like he’d be able to physically stand on the crystal or swim in the liquid mana if he was able to teleport inside.

The changes to his realm and body were not small and he could only imagine what changes were occurring with Mari as the Tidal Rune fused with Marinelle’s mind. She was fast asleep absorbing the effects.

He’d have to wait until she awoke to see if she benefitted similarly to him, but he did notice the bond tether connection between them was now slightly wider as well. The connection felt more deep and he could feel her familiarity with the water element enlightening him even further now that the passage was much larger, nearly double in size from before.

"[Zaphy, are you okay? Any changes?]" Lassim asked towards the Royal Thunderbird zipping around the space.

"[It feels like there’s actual air beneath my wing feathers now! I like it!]" She chirped in reply.

"[Well, as long as you’re happy then…]" He sighed in relief, slightly worried the increase of so much water elemental mana pressure in the space would have an impact on his other companion. Thankfully it seemed there was nothing amiss or off about the gift from the Goddess.

After a few more moments getting used to the new relaxing sensation and mental clarity, Lassim began his journey back to the exit of the labyrinth. The path seemed smoother now, the labyrinth itself feeling less mysterious and challenging.

He also noticed that the labyrinth’s usual shifts in its walls had ceased, almost as if it was now guiding him toward the exit. The "air"—or rather water—felt lighter, an unseen and oppressive atmosphere he hadn’t realized existed lifting as he approached the familiar grand doorway.

As he neared the exit, a soft azure glow enveloped his body, instantly refreshing him. The fatigue of the last month of relentless effort seemed to melt away, leaving him feeling invigorated. His sore muscles, the dull aches from countless battles, and even the residual dizziness from his earlier concussion—all of it was washed away in an instant.

The androgynous voice echoed through the space once more, gentle yet firm, "You have passed the first trial. Your dedication and comprehension have proven your worth. Move forward and insert the rune to face the second trial."

He lifted his right hand and aimed towards the giant hole in the doorway. He quickly recreated the entire Tidal Rune in less than 10 seconds before charging it with a touch more mana to expand its size to match the hole in the door. He then pushed it forward and it locked into place before splitting down the center with a crease.

The massive doors before him began to swing open gently, revealing a swirling portal within.

Lassim steeled himself, preparing to summon his halberd and be ready for any ambush attacks before stepping through.

The buzzing sensation across his body with the progenitor marks caused by the teleportation was getting more familiar now, but this time, as he stepped out on the other side, he felt a solid surface beneath his feet and he nearly suffocated with the water he had filled his lungs with.

He spent a few moments extricating his lungs of their water that he had used for his underwater breathing technique as he was now back in the open air.

Standing on a mossy ground, the air was humid and fragrant with the scent of earth and greenery. Surrounding him was a forest of willow trees, their long, trailing branches swaying gently in an unseen breeze. The atmosphere was serene, a stark contrast to the underwater labyrinth he had just left behind.

Before him lay a milky blue pond, its surface still and inviting.

The androgynous voice returned once more, clear and echoing in the space, "To overcome the second trial, you must submerge yourself in the Purification Pool. Only by facing the challenges within can you progress. Good luck."

Lassim took a moment to scan the peaceful surroundings.

Despite the serene calm atmosphere, he knew this was merely the beginning of something far more difficult. It was like there was a guillotine hanging over his head for some reason. A pressure on the back of his neck.

Putting a pause on stepping forward into the pond, his stomach growled strongly.

He had been surviving on mana alone for the past month, but since he was back on dry land and in the open air, he found himself yearning for real sustenance.

Reaching into his magic pouch, he pulled out a piece of dried fruit and a small, preserved divine meat strip, one of the last few from his time in the Drow realm, savoring the taste as he ate slowly.

He had roughly enough preserved full beast bodies to eat for another 10 years left at this point, but he’d need to butcher, cure and dry them for more dried meats if he wanted to stretch out the supply.

Thankfully, the simple act of eating brought him some extra comfort, readying him for the trip into the water’s challenge.

Once finished, Lassim approached the edge of the pond. The water rippled to his touch along the surface, with its milky blue color, shimmering with an otherworldly light.

He gently lowered himself into the pool, feeling the water envelop his body. It was cool, almost chilling, but not unpleasant.

As he continued to tread water, deeper and deeper, he eventually allowed himself to sink deeper. The water climbed up to his chest, then his shoulders. He hesitated for only a moment before fully submerging, letting the water close over his head.

The moment his head went beneath the surface, without even a moment given to activate his underwater breathing technique, everything in his vision flashed with a bright azure light before turning abruptly into pitch black.