CRACK!
The sound came from deep within his core, sharp and clear like ice fracturing under pressure. Ariel felt it more than heard it, a sensation that resonated through his entire being. The dormant knot in his lower abdomen split, fissures spreading across its surface as the accumulated mana finally overwhelmed its resistance.
Then it shattered completely.
BOOOOM!
An explosion of blue ethereal energy erupted from his core, expanding outward in a massive sphere that engulfed his entire body. The force was tremendous, a shockwave of pure power that rippled through the air, sending his hair whipping backward, making the silk sheets on the bed billow like sails caught in a gale.
The energy was beautiful. It glowed with luminous blue light, almost liquid in its movement, flowing around him in spiraling patterns. Wisps and tendrils danced through the air, tracing complex geometries before dissipating into motes of light that hung suspended for breathless seconds before fading.
Ariel gasped as the energy washed over him, through him, saturating every cell with its presence. It felt cool and refreshing, like diving into clear water on a hot day. The sensation was completely different from the divine integration, lacking any trace of pain. This felt natural, right, like a missing piece finally sliding into place.
The shockwave expanded further, reaching the walls of the room before beginning to contract. The blue energy pulled inward, drawn back toward his core by some fundamental law of equilibrium. It flowed back into him in reverse, spiraling down through the pathways it had just blasted open, returning to its source.
Slower now. Gentler. The wild explosion giving way to controlled circulation.
The energy settled into his core, which no longer felt like a dormant knot but rather like a living thing, pulsing with steady rhythm. It beat in time with his heart, creating a secondary pulse that resonated through his entire body. With each beat, mana flowed outward through his meridians in measured waves before returning, establishing a natural cycle.
Inhale, mana flows outward. Exhale, mana flows inward. The pattern synchronized with his breathing, creating perfect harmony between his physical body and the energy now housed within it.
Ariel opened his eyes slowly, half expecting to see the room destroyed by the explosion. But everything remained intact. The furniture stood undisturbed. The windows were unbroken. The only evidence of what had occurred was a faint blue glow that still clung to his skin, fading gradually as he watched.
'It worked. It actually worked. I have a mana core now.'
The realization brought a surge of triumph. He'd done it. Survived divine integration and forced his core's awakening in the same day. Both impossible feats accomplished through sheer determination and a willingness to endure.
The translucent screen materialized before him, glowing brighter than usual, text scrolling rapidly across its surface.
[CORE FORMATION SUCCESSFUL]
[Mana Core Status: Active]
[Awakening Grade: Superior]
[Core Type: Standard Cultivation Core]
[Congratulations, Avatar. You have achieved what the original inhabitant of this body could not. Your mana core is now fully functional and will continue to develop as you cultivate.]
Ariel stared at the messages, his enhanced mind processing the information. Awakening grade superior. That sounded positive. He wanted more details, needed to understand exactly what had changed.
"Show me everything," he said aloud, still sitting in lotus position on the carpet. "I need to see my full status."
[Updating status parameters with new information. Recalculating attributes and abilities based on integrated Celestial Wills and awakened mana core. Processing...]
The screen flickered, the blue light pulsing in waves as it worked. Ariel waited, his newly awakened core continuing its steady rhythm, pumping mana through his system in perfect synchronization with his heartbeat.
After several seconds, the screen stabilized and displayed his updated status.
[AVATAR STATUS]
Name: Ariel Crowcrest
Age: 17
Title: Avatar of Chaos, Avatar of Cosmos
Race: Human
Rank: E (Low)
[CELESTIAL WILLS]
• Cosmos (Aethera) - Tier: Awakened
• Chaos (Nyx) - Tier: Awakened
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 28
Agility: 32
Endurance: 30
Intelligence: 35
Perception: 27
Will: 33
[ABILITIES]
Cosmos Domain:
• Vital Restoration: Channel cosmic energy to rapidly regenerate wounds and restore stamina. Healing speed depends on injury severity and available mana.
• Celestial Palm: Project concentrated cosmic energy from palms as concussive force. Effective at close to mid range.
• Star Sense: Passively perceive energy fluctuations and hostile intent within your immediate surroundings. Enhanced awareness of threats and opportunities.
Chaos Domain:
• Entropic Touch: Infuse attacks with chaotic energy that disrupts and destabilizes matter on contact.
• Void Step: Manipulate space to achieve short range instantaneous movement.
• Dissolution: Actively corrode and break down non living matter within a small radius around you. Effectiveness varies by material composition and mana investment.
[BLOODLINE]
Crowcrest Legacy (Ancient Tier)
Soul Regalia: Forge a weapon from mana core, unique to wielder's essence. Weapon grows with user and cannot be destroyed while user lives.
Element: Primordial Elemental Affinity
└ Awakened: Fire
└ Unawakened: Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Light, Darkness, Space
[MANA CORE]
Status: Active
Grade: Superior
Capacity: 1000/1000
Regeneration: 50 per minute
Ariel's eyes widened as he took in the display. The changes were dramatic. His attributes had nearly doubled across the board. His rank had jumped from F to E. And he had actual abilities now, six concrete powers he could use, three from each domain.
But his attention fixed on the bloodline section, specifically the element designation.
"Primordial elemental affinity?" he said, confusion evident in his voice. "Why does it show fire as awakened but all these other elements including space as unawakened? I thought the bloodline granted affinity for one element."
[Correct observation. Under normal circumstances, Crowcrest bloodline members awaken affinity for a single element during their core formation. That element becomes their primary focus for cultivation and combat techniques.]
[However, your situation is abnormal. You carry the Celestial Will of Chaos, which governs fundamental forces of existence including spatial manipulation and elemental energies in their primordial state. This has caused a significant mutation in how your bloodline manifested.]
[Your bloodline has evolved beyond standard Crowcrest parameters. You now possess latent affinity for all base elements plus space, rather than just one. However, only fire has fully awakened at this time. The others, including space, remain dormant, locked behind barriers you must overcome through cultivation, combat experience, or specific triggering conditions.]
[Fire awakened because it aligns most closely with the destructive aspects of Chaos Will. The element resonated with the chaotic energy already saturating your system during core formation, triggering immediate activation.]
[Space remains unawakened despite your possession of Void Step because the ability operates through direct manipulation of your Chaos Will rather than through elemental affinity. Awakening your space affinity will require separate development, though possessing Void Step may make that process easier when the time comes.]
"So I can eventually use all of them?" Ariel asked, excitement building in his chest. "All nine affinities?"
[Theoretically, yes. Practically, the difficulty of awakening each subsequent element increases substantially. Fire awakened due to direct synergy with your Chaos Will during the volatile moment of core formation. The remaining eight will require deliberate effort, specific circumstances, or breakthrough moments to unlock.]
[Most cultivators spend decades mastering a single element. You will be attempting to master nine distinct energy types. The time investment and effort required will be immense.]
[However, the potential rewards are equally substantial. A cultivator with access to multiple elements possesses tactical flexibility that single element users cannot match. You will be able to adapt to any situation, exploit any weakness, counter any strategy.]
[Additionally, the combination of elemental manipulation with your Celestial Wills creates synergistic possibilities. Cosmic energy enhancing fire beyond normal flames. Chaotic energy corrupting water into something corrosive and unstable. The applications are limited only by your imagination and skill.]
Ariel nodded slowly, absorbing the implications. It was both overwhelming and exhilarating. He'd gone from being a powerless nobody to someone with incredible potential in the span of hours.
But potential wasn't the same as power. He was still E rank low. Still at the bottom of the hierarchy in terms of actual strength. He had the tools, but he lacked the skill, experience, and development to use them effectively.
'One step at a time. I just integrated Celestial Wills and awakened my core. That's already impossible progress for a single day. Everything else will come with practice and time.'
He turned his attention back to the abilities section, reading through each one carefully. Six abilities total, three from each domain. That was more than he'd expected.
"Explain each of these abilities in detail," he requested, wanting complete understanding of what he could do. "Capabilities, limitations, costs, everything."
[Acknowledged. Beginning comprehensive ability analysis.]
[Cosmos Domain abilities derive from Aethera's power over creation, expansion, and life force. These abilities focus on sustainability, support, and controlled offensive application.]
[Vital Restoration: This ability channels cosmic energy through your body to accelerate natural healing processes. You can mend cuts, bruises, broken bones, torn muscles, and other physical injuries. The speed of healing depends on injury severity and how much mana you invest. Minor cuts close in seconds. Deep wounds take minutes. Broken bones require sustained channeling. You cannot regenerate lost limbs at awakened tier, nor can you cure diseases or poisons, though you can slow their effects. Cost varies from 50 to 300 mana depending on injury severity.]
[Celestial Palm: This ability projects concentrated cosmic energy from your palms as visible force. The energy manifests as brilliant white or blue light that impacts targets with concussive power. You can shatter stone, dent metal, knock back opponents, or create defensive barriers by releasing the energy in specific patterns. Effective range is currently about twenty feet, though accuracy decreases with distance. Each blast costs approximately 80 mana. You can adjust power output, using less mana for weaker blasts or more for devastating strikes.]
[Star Sense: This is a passive ability that operates continuously without conscious activation or mana cost. Your perception extends beyond normal human limits, allowing you to sense energy fluctuations, detect hostile intent, and perceive threats you cannot see directly. The range is currently limited to about thirty feet in all directions. You will feel danger approaching, sense when someone means you harm, and detect the presence of powerful energy sources. This ability makes ambushes extremely difficult and provides combat awareness beyond what your physical senses alone could achieve. As you advance, range and sensitivity will increase.]
[Chaos Domain abilities derive from Nyx's power over destruction, entropy, and fundamental forces. These abilities focus on lethality, disruption, and manipulation of reality's structure.]
[Entropic Touch: This ability infuses your physical strikes with chaotic energy that causes rapid degradation of whatever you touch. When active, a dark aura surrounds your hands or weapons. Any contact with this aura active will cause matter to break down at an accelerated rate. Metal corrodes, stone crumbles, wood rots, and living flesh necrotizes. The effect ignores conventional durability because it attacks matter at a molecular level. Against living opponents, the damage manifests as internal disruption and tissue death that spreads from the point of contact. Cost is 75 mana per activation, with the effect lasting approximately ten seconds. Degradation speed depends on material hardness and your mana investment.]
[Void Step: This ability allows instantaneous relocation through manipulation of space. You essentially fold space to move from one point to another without traversing the distance between. Current maximum range is fifteen feet. You must be able to perceive your destination, either through direct line of sight or through Star Sense. You cannot pass through solid barriers at awakened tier. The relocation is truly instantaneous, creating tactical advantages in combat by allowing you to evade attacks, close distances, or reposition without telegraphing movement. Cost is 100 mana per use. As you advance and potentially awaken your space affinity, this ability will become significantly more versatile and efficient.]
[Dissolution: This ability projects a field of chaotic energy around you that actively breaks down non living matter. When activated, a barely visible distortion surrounds you in a sphere approximately five feet in radius. Anything non living that enters this field begins corroding immediately. Weapons striking you degrade. Armor weakens. Projectiles disintegrate before reaching you. The field does not affect living tissue, making it safe for allies while devastating to equipment and environmental obstacles. However, the constant energy output is expensive, costing 150 mana per minute of activation. This ability is best used strategically rather than maintained continuously.]
Ariel absorbed every word, his enhanced intelligence allowing him to process and retain the information easily. Each ability had clear applications and limitations. He was beginning to understand how they might work together in actual combat situations.
Void Step to close distance or evade. Entropic Touch for lethal strikes. Celestial Palm for ranged attacks or crowd control. Vital Restoration for sustainability. Dissolution for defensive advantages. Star Sense providing constant awareness.
'I'm not helpless anymore. Not even close. These abilities make me dangerous even at E rank.'
He stood from lotus position, stretching muscles that felt more powerful than they should. The mana flowing through his meridians was a constant presence now, a warmth suffusing his entire body. He could feel the power there, ready to be called upon, waiting for his command.