Lucian kept his eyes closed, not wanting to lose the little control he'd managed to exert over his body. He was afraid that if he stopped focusing, he would lose this feeling and not be able to find this strange phenomenon again. Just below his abdomen, hidden in the center of his body behind his umbilicus, there floated a small, glowing orb, no larger than a pea.

There was no doubt that this was what he'd been looking for, but he had no clue what it was. It was colorless, but from Lucian's point of view, it was glowing brightly. He could feel heat resonating from the small bead, slowly leaking out and pouring into his body.

"Ed, what is this thing?" Lucian asked, opening his eyes and losing sight of the orb.

[Error]

"Ugh," he groaned and thought of a way to rephrase his question. "There is a bead of some sort below my stomach. It seems to be absorbing the nutrients from the fruits I'm eating. What is it?"

[Core. When the [Initiate] Microlink is unlocked, a number of impurities are flushed out, and a Core is formed inside the body. This Core houses Psyons that can be used as Host sees fit. Psyons can be replenished naturally or through more forceful methods. The Core can be strengthened through the use and mastery of Psyon control]

"So... it's like a new organ?" he asked, trying to grasp the situation better.

[Yes]

"How do I control the Psyons?"

[Error]

"Thanks, Ed," Lucian sighed and opened the [Microlink] tab. After unlocking [Endurance II], three more Microlinks became visible to him. Though, none of them gave him a clue that would help in his current endeavor. The three were [Endurance III], [Metalurgy I], and [Erthomancy I]. He couldn't access the descriptions for the new Microlinks, so he swiped out of the screen.

Night had taken over the Tile, but Lucian felt full of energy, and he opted to study his Core under the moonlight rather than head to his shack. Lucian leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes, focusing on his body and the area where he'd first located the Core. It took him some time to fall into the same trance that helped him discover the object.

"There you are..." he whispered after locating the tiny, glowing orb that floated within him. The Core was glowing brighter than before, and somehow, Lucian could sense that the Core was full. He focused on the glowing orb, and suddenly, it was in front of him.

Lucian looked around, confused. He could feel that he was still sitting with his eyes closed, but at the same time, he was in a dark space, with the small orb floating before him. There was no timer in the corner of his vision, nor could he see the tabs that typically hovered opposite the clock.

"Where am I..." he wondered. Darkness surrounded him on all sides, much like the vision that had led him to unlocking [Endurance II]. Lucian was no longer 'seeing' the orb as he had before. Instead of feeling the tiny ball floating amongst his organs, he was now looking directly at it as if he were standing inside of a dream.

Lucian moved his arms and legs, not feeling any differences from moving his actual body. Moving in this space felt like moving on the [Vorikan] Tile, where gravity had less of an effect on him. He took two large bounds forward, coming to a stop in front of the glowing Core.

Unlike the pea-sized ball that he'd sensed within him, the Core in this place was the size of a bowling ball, and he could see tens of lights dancing within. The colors of the lights varied, and he recognized that most matched the colors of the fruits he'd eaten.

"So this is my Core..?" Lucian whispered, looking at the beautiful display of colors and feeling the waves of heat that resonated from the orb. He reached out slowly, entranced by the object, but his hand never made contact.

When his fingers were within centimeters of the orb, he felt that he couldn't reach any further. It was like he was trying to push the opposite ends of two magnets together. But, something else happened as he held his hand out. The waves of heat stopped pulsing out in every direction and instead amassed around his outstretched palm, forming a bridge between himself and the Core.

The heat traveled into his palm and throughout his body. Lucian felt the warmth within him, and he could feel energy pulsating from the orb and into his body. The feeling gathered below his stomach, in the exact place he'd first located the Core. It wasn't uncomfortable, and his physical body resting against the tree didn't seem to be harmed by the change.

"What now?" Lucian murmured, examining his body. He moved his arm away from the Core but found that the bridge connecting him with the orb didn't disperse. Instead, a thin, shining tendril stretched out from the Core and was attached to his umbilicus. Pulses of heat surged from the orb and traveled through the cord, and he could feel them resonating throughout his body.

"I can... feel it..."

Just like the beating of his heart, he could feel the pulsating Core as if it had always been part of him. The warmth it gave off felt natural, and he could even feel the tiny particles zipping back and forth within it. Lucian began to hum, and his eyes snapped open.

He was back on his Tile, the soft Raijin lying beside him and the coarse tree to his back. But something was different. Lucian could still feel his connection to the Core, and he could still sense that his mind was somehow in that dark space that contained it.

"Hm. Hmmmm. Hmm."

Lucian stood up and stretched, finding that he was full of vitality. The beating of his heart resonated with the pulsing of the Core, and he felt a need to let the energy out. He took one step...

And launched himself nearly five meters into the air.