Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water

Chapter 300: Crystalline Potential

The sun dipped beneath the horizon as Lassim flew high above the sands that were now transitioning from the southern continent’s desert in the northern region to the open plains region of the south. He still had a bit further in his journey back to the outpost where the landscape would change once more to wooded forests, cliffs and occasional mountains.

Though, as he flew, his thoughts churned like a restless tide. The bearkin had been a formidable opponent after it became enraged, far more dangerous than its Spirit Transcendent stage, level 6 power should have allowed. Its berserk state, plus those odd skeletal markings, and the sheer pressure it emitted wasn’t normal.

As Lassim adjusted his flight path slightly with his gaze fixed on the darkening horizon, Mari broke the silence from within his inner heart world, her voice tinged with curiosity. "[Still thinking about that bearkin, child?]"

"[Yeah,]" Lassim admitted, "[There’s something about it that doesn’t sit right. I can’t stop thinking about how it seemed... unnatural. My working theory is that the Spirit Quartz could have caused it somehow. I wonder if living next to the crystals for its whole life has caused that kind of evolution or alteration?]"

Mari replied, skeptical yet thoughtful, "[It was definitely affecting it but—it could’ve been influencing it another way. Spirit beasts are sensitive to mana, but if the quartz holds Spirit Sense like we believe, who’s to say it didn’t overcharge the entire veins somehow and it being obviously attuned to them reacted when you came in and lit up the entire place?]"

Lassim hummed in agreement, though the exact mechanics eluded him. "[Whatever it was, the quartz definitely played a part. I’ll leave the theorizing to Rlyis and Eno when we get back but they should at least know about it before we start using it.]"

When Lassim turned his attention to what Zaphy was doing, curious about her input, she seemed too busy chasing some fish within his heart world to even care what they were discussing. He smiled and let her be.

The journey continued in companionable silence, broken only by the occasional hum of wind as Lassim adjusted his [Tempest Steps] to speed up, looking forward to returning and possibly taking a nap after the initial delivery and discussion of Spirit Quartz was finished.

Despite the questions and theories swirling in his mind and the long journey continued through the night, a faint smile crossed his lips as the familiar silhouette of the southern coastline came into view the next day. It was still far in the distance, but a day and a half of near-constant travel had brought him back to the outpost in the middle of the forest nearby.

Lassim felt his shoulders relax as he descended, landing lightly outside the entrance of the workshop.

Inside, Rlyis and Eno paused their work, turning to greet him.

Around them, neatly packed crates of the newly completed and remade Thick-body guard constructs lined the workshop, their stacks organized with ribbon labels that detailed and addressed which locations they would be going to.

"You’re back fairly quick," Rlyis said, setting down her tools and striding forward. Her sharp gaze flickered to the whale-skin pouch at Lassim’s side. "Did you find it?"

"I did," Lassim replied, pulling the pouch free. He walked to an open workbench, clearing a space before carefully retrieving the quartz pieces. The smaller shards came first, their faint glow casting soft light across the table. Finally, he removed the unique shard, its silvery-white brilliance drawing immediate attention.

Rlyis’s eyes widened slightly as she leaned closer, her expression a mixture of curiosity and awe. "This one’s... different."

Eno approached, his brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm… The formation conditions must have been unique. This might be a once-in-a-century grade piece. Was there anything unusual about where you found it?"

Lassim paused, setting another shard down carefully before turning to face them.

"The island was... fairly different. It was misty and dense with vegetation—thick ivy, towering trees, and this strange blue moss that seemed to guide me to the cavern where I found the Spirit Quartz veins. Everything about it felt untouched, almost primal."

He folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. "As I moved toward the island’s center, I felt there was a reaction to my spirit sense as well. That’s what mainly brought me close enough to find the blue moss."

Eno tilted his head, intrigued. "Interesting that you felt that too. I wonder what the correlation between it is. The quartz might amplify certain sensations or reactions to Spirit Sense in such large quantities, making it feel more present than it is. I vaguely recall feeling that similar sensation when I was there for the first time."

"Maybe," Lassim said, "But the beasts on the island were strange too. The smaller ones scattered as soon as I landed, as if they were aware of my cultivation level and dangerousness somehow. Even the larger ones kept their distance, watching, despite my best efforts to reign in my spiritual pressure within my body. It felt like they knew exactly how strong I was and avoided me."

"That’s odd," Eno muttered. "I wonder if being around the quartz has altered them somehow. I don’t recall that happening to me, but I was much, much weaker than you when I last went. I was only Spirit Growth stage during my re

The suggestion intrigued them, and they debated the idea for several minutes, exploring potential methods on how to test the theory.

Eventually Lassim carefully summoned a single lightning sprite fish when they decided simple was best—just push it forward and see if it can enter or not. The translucent creature sparked with life, its form darting playfully in the wave of mana above his hand.

Lassim guided the lightning sprite fish toward a small Spirit Quartz shard, its glow intensifying slightly as the fish approached. The sprite hesitated at the surface for a moment, its tentacle tails whipping and wriggling back and forth with curiosity before slipping into the shard entirely.

The quartz reacted immediately, its glow growing slightly brighter and its color shifting to the same azure and violet holographic coloring of Lassim’s runes.

Surprisingly, Lassim maintained his connection to the sprite, even feeling its presence to where exactly it was within the shard. After a few moments, he attempted to call it back. The sprite emerged, but its form was visibly diminished—smaller and less vibrant, its energy clearly reduced.

"It’s not retained the full strength," Lassim noted, his voice tinged with frustration.

Eno examined the shard, nodding slowly. "The quartz is holding onto some of the energy somehow, even after the sprite exits. It’s not perfect, but it’s functional as a vessel."

"Let’s try the century crystal. I wonder how that will react," Rlyis suggested, a bit eager with anticipation.

Lassim summoned another sprite fish, this the same size and consistency as before.

Carefully, he directed it toward the unique silvery-white shard. The quartz responded immediately, its glow intensifying with a purer, steadier light. The sprite entered without hesitation, disappearing into the shard’s depths.

This time, when Lassim called the sprite back, it emerged entirely unchanged. Its energy was just as strong and vibrant as when it had entered.

"That’s incredible," Rlyis said, her eyes wide. "The century crystal doesn’t diminish the energy at all. It’s a perfect vessel with no input or output resistance loss!"

Eno added, excitement creeping into his voice, "If this shard can retain energy without any loss, it’s perfect. It should be the centerpiece of our construct."