The most tragic song is the one not sung.

~Taliesin, God of Rhapsody

Crow felt prepared. The spell was so ingrained it practically existed as an extension of himself. Only assimilating the chosen beast core was left, but agitation and unrest filled him every time Crow sat down. Over the last two days, he stared at the core a half-dozen times but ended up walking out of the cabin to move more nymphs into his Soulscape.

There were actually two beast cores in his possession. One came from the bird that Otto killed, but it didn’t carry the same majestic feeling that the Silver-Eyed Crow did. It was something he could absorb after officially igniting Myriad of the Beasts within his Soul. The change that followed was qualitative and would prohibit any other type of Body transformative arts in the future. That was okay for two reasons. The first was that few transformative arts could grow and evolve like the Myriad of Beasts. The second reason was that it didn’t prevent him from practicing Body-related cultivation like Song Lin taught him.

This bird core was a common one, but the owl-like beast had armored feathers. Crow took the time to pluck them for his arrows, but his main hope was that the core would provide his body with innate defense. Or his Silver-Eyed Crow form to have similar feathers.

There were only five of the wood nymphs left. The others were thoroughly enjoying his Soulscape and ordering the Soul Butlers around. They were mischievous things, but their pranks were harmless. After moving another nymph inside, Rain approached Crow.

“What is bothering you?”

“That obvious?”

“Probably not, but we are an empathetic people. So the mana coursing through us is sensitive to emotions and unsettled thoughts. We survive despite our weaknesses because we can sense the ill intent before it arrives.”

“Do you sense ill intent from what I’m doing?”

“Not toward us, no. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any against you. All I can tell you is that I sense a charged atmosphere around you. Like… a tensed wolf about to attack its prey.”

“Am I the wolf or the prey?” Crow chuckled at the analogy.

“Prey.”

That was unexpected, but it fit the feeling he sensed when he attempted to finalize the spell. Crow slowly nodded. Now that he knew what was causing his mind to be unsettled, it was an easy thing to address.

“Then I’ll move all of you inside before I begin.”

“You are so convinced you’ll succeed?”

“Nope, but my father once told me that a man doesn’t focus on failure. Doubts that gnaw at courage, fleeting thoughts, and ‘what ifs’ are the bullshit that prevents people from achieving greatness.”

“And if you fail?”

“If it doesn’t kill me—try again. And again. And go as many times as it takes to reach success.”

“So… you are saying that stubbornness is your strategy?”

Crow chuckled and shrugged. “I didn’t choose to become a cultivator because it’s safe. If I wanted safe, I’d hide away down on the planet and become a simple hunter. I’d rather live a fulfilled life and grasp the opportunities in front of me. One day, when I’m old and looking back at what I’ve accomplished, I want to be able to hold my kids and tell them stories that will amaze them for a lifetime.”

“If you live that long.”

“Ha! For a nymph, you are quite cynical.”

“We aren’t muses. And we like to tease, so we have our own ways of inspiring.”

“Wait. Are you using your empathy to provoke me?”

“I’d prefer calling it motivation. I already told you I can tell when you are unsettled. You just needed a reason to remember what your goals are.”

“You know what is coming, don’t you?”

“It won’t help you to say it. I do admire your dreams. We don’t think like humans and aren’t held back by so many silly thoughts. We live in the moment and play as hard as we work.”

“Work?”

“We do cultivate, just not the same way you do.”

Crow nodded, and their conversation lapsed into silence as he proceeded to practice Qi Gong to recuperate his mana. When used together with his Druid cultivation, both methods pushed mana to his Source. The best part was, now that he had his Shield, he was slightly better than a weak cultivation talent. It made him wonder if that Spirit cultivation method that strange woman gave him would further help him achieve an average talent. Crow knew that the pure mana that actually reached his Source was anything but average. Still, Night Fire also slowed his rate of progression down to less than mediocre.

Once he felt back to normal, he moved another nymph over. This process continued until only Rain was left.

“Ready?”

“I am, but you ready for what comes after?”

“I am. I’ll move you over, then wait until the next morning and attempt my transformation out here. I’m afraid of what’ll happen if I remain in the cabin.”

“Then my only advice is to do it as far east as possible.”

“Scath.”

Crow nodded and then moved the last wood nymph into his Soulscape. That night the Scath seemed more restless than previous nights. He sensed more and more of them arriving around the cabin, but other than killing a few to absorb some of that Dark Mana, he ignored them. The only thing he could say was that he felt that studying that mana would benefit him in the future.

The moment the Scath left, Crow moved to the eastern side of the canyon. Sitting down, he grasped onto the Silver-Eyed Crow core and soothed his mind by regulating his breathing. Once ready, he activated Bestial Aura and circulated his mana according to the first stage of the Myriad of Beasts. According to the research and how mana circulation worked, he had to cup the core with one hand on top and one on the bottom.

Once he started, he ignored the sense of impending threat and concentrated on circulating the mana. It was imperative that he pushed the pattern deep into his Mind’s subconscious. It needed to operate independently of thought so his focus could remain on body transformation.

Sweat was already beading his forehead before the sun even became visible. At this time, he entered the transcendent state described in the original Beast Aspect spell. It was a place that protected his Mind and Spirit from the beast’s psyche and protected his sanity from the massive changes happening within his body.

Crow hadn’t even noticed that his hands were covered in a black and silver liquid, nor could he see that it was entering his meridians. Vein-like structures rose from his skin as the power contained within the beast core invaded his body. Distantly, as if watching someone’s body, he felt his bones breaking and reforming. Even his skin felt coarse and itchy as follicles grew from his pores. Those follicles extended until they turned into feathers.

While not noticeable to most, his eyes went through the most significant change. The golden flecks shifted, grew, and became brighter than before. Those tiny particles rearranged themselves until they were a ring that circled his pupils. The green parts of his eyes turned more vibrant, almost aglow. There was a metallic sheen over the coloring, which was the true essence of the Silver-Eyed Crow. Even though he couldn’t see what was happening to his eyes, he sensed something. It wasn’t hard for him to guess that this change was inherited from the beast core.

Time flashed by, and night approached when his body was fully covered with crisscrossing black and silver lines. It was the completion of the pattern, and mana sped up as it flowed through the infinite loop of the ancient Celtic Knot. The same knot branded itself into his flesh, organs, and bones, followed by a terrifying suction force as his Soul thirsted for mana.

Mana from the surrounding area flooded toward him like a tsunami, and had anyone witnessed it, they’d have fled in a panic. Even the Scath approaching him turned to run as the dark mana that encased them was getting stripped away. The trees became less vibrant, the rocks more brittle, and the air stagnated. Even the tiny beasts that roamed the forest turned to escape the suction force given off by Crow.

None of that caught his attention as he roared out with pain. Every bit of mana he scraped from the surrounding area entered into him caused his Night Fire to flare hotter and hotter. Anyone that approached him could visibly see a shimmering heat given off by his body.

Like a mirage, the heat distorted the image within. Crow’s appearance shifted between man and beast.

Cawwww!

Crow screeched to the heavens, and his eyes snapped open. Other than a gold ring in the center, his eyes were liquid silver that flashed green when the light caught them. Crow’s beast eyes could see karma linked to himself. Hundreds of lines of various shapes, sizes, and colors were held in his gaze, all piercing into his Shield. Each karma line linked to people, objects, or places he had established a connection to. The only detail he could gain from such a link was whether he’d sown good or bad karma.

Blinking caused the silver color to fade from his eyes, and Crow knew it was some type of mana that he burned off. However, looking toward the sky, he stopped worrying about his strange new ability because something terrible approached.

Attempting to stand made him realize he didn’t have arms because he’d almost finished transforming into the Silver-Eyed Crow. Featherless wings tried to push against the ground to stand, but it was futile. It was only as his feeble-looking wings grew feathers that he realized he couldn’t get up until his transformation had completed.

Crow finally gained the lost ability of the Draoidh, which may be the death of him. Thunderclouds amassed with an alarming quickness that could be seen for thousands of kilometers, and it kept growing. Without a doubt, he was facing a tribulation because the wrath of the Heavens was upon him.