I applaud my brethren in their goals and approve wholeheartedly. Like the two of you, I would look to guide the coming winds. I ask that you allow me to deal with the kings, queens, presidents, emperors, and empresses that would shake their fist at the sky, seeking to cow the storm. I believe I am most suited to reading the nature of their souls and forecasting what directions they will blow. And if that direction in inimical to the words of the Herald, I shall crush their meager breeze before it may grow into a typhoon. – Letter from the Voice Cirrocumulus

“Remember Li, the key is breathing calmly, visualizing clearly, and guiding your mana flow properly. It is not a race, take as much time as you need. Each breathe you are drilling deeper. Attempting to bore to the center of yourself. Deepen the well of mana that is your core.”

Niels calming voice filled Elijah’s relaxed mind, repeating the same advice he had given mere minutes ago. Keeping him on track as he lost himself within his newest skill. Theo had been flabbergasted when he had asked what the meditation skill did, quickly bringing him to Niels to resolve the issue.

As it had turned out, meditation was considered the most important skill for any resident of this world. For non-adventurers, the skills importance as a source of evolution points could not be understated, but that wasn’t all it did. Adventurer or not, the skill and its truly incredibly number of subtypes offered a wide range of benefits that meant it could be specialized for any individual’s particular lifestyle.

Earth style meditation, which was one of the oldest styles according to Theo and Niels, was focused on helping someone recover from injuries and refill their Ki Pool. According to Theo, the second aspect would be especially important for him in the coming days, as they worked to open his first Ki Channel. A process they had described as both tedious and exhausting, but ultimately very important for someone like Elijah’s future growth.

“Focus Elijah, your mana control is getting sloppy. You need to keep it focused. Soon enough you’ll have to manage this while juggling both mana and ki, so it is in your best interest to be able to manage just the mana portion without effort.”

Quickly breaking out of his reminiscence, Elijah returned to the task at hand. It was strange to use his mana this way, directing the flows in toward his core rather than out of it, like he would for a spell. The goal was to drag as much mana from the rest of his body as possible and spiral it around his core, creating a sort of drill from the various flows that would strike the center of his core.

The flow of mana would break apart upon hitting the center of his core, flinging the mana he had worked so hard to gather off into the rest of his body. According to Theo, this would cause most of that mana to be absorbed into his flesh and blood, while also creating a low enough mana density in his veins to increase his passive absorption from the environment. As it was, the mana in his flesh and blood couldn’t do much. That would change once he had a Ki Pool.

If he was trying to use this for healing, the goal would be to create this drill of mana at the site of the injury, slamming it into the wound to inject as much mana into the surrounding tissue as possible. This would speed up the recovery process by providing the surrounding cells significantly more energy than normal. It wasn’t as good as a healing spell, but it would cost significantly less mana and could fix most injuries in hours rather than days. Assuming he could stay conscious for the duration.

So, hoping to become proficient with a skill that could very well save his life one day, Elijah concentrated. He spent what felt to him like hours practicing during that first attempt at meditation, trying to make the exercise as natural as breathing. Losing himself in the flow of his mana and feeling his consciousness slowly expand.

Slowly, he began to feel something different. His perception of his surroundings slowly faded; his attention instead being drawn to his own body. The new senses he had gained when he was brought to this world let him perceive through his mana, and he began using that to feel the outline of his body. He felt every minor injury, the little aches and pains that were a part of life, and redirected his meditation to those locations.

Slowly, they disappeared. The broken wrist that had ached with every change in the weather was drained of little bubbles of air, the bone allowed to fill the resulting gap. Microtears in his tendons from the sudden physical abuse he had put his body through were patched, returning them to working order. He fixed his shin splints, filling the tiny cracks in the bone and securing welcome relief from the discomfort.

By the time he left his meditation, he felt like a new man. A literal new man, with a fresh and unworn body. For a moment he felt the urge to run and leap around, expressing a child-like joy for the shear rush of being alive. With a little effort, he contained himself to nothing more that what he imagined was a rather goofy grin.

Looking around, he realized it actually had been hours, as the sun was significantly lower in the sky then when he had begun. He pulled up the system message he had pushed aside in his earlier excitement and read what the Voice had to say.

Congratulations! Through Meditation in a powerful site of mana, you have collected primordial power. You have received 5 Evolution Points. Additionally, through careful control and deep connection you have evolved your skill. Your skill has evolved to Earth Style Meditation – Uncommon. Your skill now emphasizes the recovery of health, with enhanced effects when actively directing the skill.

#

While the rest of the party was beginning to serve themselves dinner, Theo noticed that the newcomer had left his meditative trance. The empty eyed look into space likely meant he had received a system message, and Theo used that opportunity to approach the distracted Elijah.

He was curious how much Elijah had gotten out of the experience. People could have a hard time using meditation correctly, especially if the style they were attempting didn’t fit them. By all appearance, the man had taken to Earth Style meditation just fine, entering the trance comparatively quickly for a first attempt and exiting it with a rather telltale grin.

Still, it was best to hear it directly from the man. Elijah was hard to get a read on in most situations, maintaining a neutral facial expression in most situations and carefully curating his words with a respectful tone. Especially when he talked to Niels, during which his obvious military training shined through. More than once he had called the man “sir” in the telltale way of an army private addressing their drill sergeant.

Yes, the grin was a good sign, but Theo wasn’t going to assume anything until he had talked to the man directly.

“How you doing there Elijah? Ready to rejoin the rest of us? We are just finishing cooking dinner. Hope you like stew, it’s all we can really manage.”

Elijah’s response was distracted, the man clearly still focused on his post meditation high. “Yeah, stew sounds good. Thank you for letting me know. I’m sure it will be great. I can try to make something up tomorrow if you all would like.”

Theo laughed at the man’s words, thinking of the state of the stew pot, “Don’t get your hopes up for the stew, the nicest thing I’ve ever been able to describe it as is…palatable. I think we all would appreciate any contribution you could make to our dining experience.” Softly, he nudged the conversation in the direction he wanted, “How did meditating go? Were you able to get anything out of it?”

Elijah practically melted as he sighed in satisfaction, “I feel better than I have in years. Like I took ten years of aging off my body. I even received a descent number of Evolution Points. I can’t thank the two of you enough for helping me with this.”

“Good to hear my friend! Was worried we might have chosen the wrong meditation skill for you. Wouldn’t want you to explode or anything.” With a cheeky grin, Theo turned around and began walking back to the camp.

“That wasn’t a real option,” Theo heard Elijah mutter to himself as he followed. “Was it?”

#

The group had been steadily working its way deeper into the forest and the ghouls had been growing more aggressive, putting the effects of Elijah and Niels’ crowns to the test, along with Elijah’s mental health. Having a team had been something of a double-edged sword in that regard. The group, it turned out, afforded him just enough mental (and physical) security of his own wellbeing that his brain felt safe enough to panic about the situation.

Rather than the tightly locked mental box deep in the basement of his mental palace, his panic had now been let out to go screaming through the halls. He worked hard to keep it locked down and not affecting his performance and had so far been managing, if barely. The entire situation was incredibly trying for his mental health, and would likely have been more than he could handle without something to relieve the growing pressure.

Which was how Elijah found he enjoyed the calm zen of falling deeply into his Meditation skill. It helped him center and calm himself whenever the insanity of his situation caught up with him. Having never tried meditation on Earth, he wasn’t sure if this was just the effects of clearing the mind and relaxing or if there was something more to it. Maybe the passive healing of the ability also helped balance out his brain chemicals?

Whatever the case, he had taken to meditating at least once a day, something many Adventurer’s apparently found superfluous when in a dungeon and gaining Evolution Points through more aggressive means. Niels had praised his initiative though, and had taken to meditating with him. According to him, it was a waste to not take advantage of the enhanced gains while within the dungeon, though his own meditation rarely awarded him an Evolution Point with the greater strength of his soul.

In addition to the points and stress relief, Elijah had also found his jumbled memories from before his death had begun to sort themselves out during his meditation sessions. It was still blurry, but he had begun to remember more and more of what had happened. He had drifted to sleep in a large room filled with wooden podiums, early in the evening right after getting off his final shift for the week. A TV had been playing something about the upcoming elections that he had barely been paying attention to.

He remembered other people being there, at least one of them making a lot of noise. One had been looking down at him, shaking him at some point before he passed out. Telling him not to fall asleep. Telling him someone was coming to get him. He’d been so tired though. So tired and he had needed to get to bed early. All he’d been able to think about was how busy he was going to be in the morning and how much he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

Looking back it seemed fairly obvious he had not gone quietly in his sleep like he had originally assumed, but he still wasn’t sure of the exact circumstances. It would come to him eventually. At least hopefully it would. He wanted to be sure Jason was safe. Triss should have been fine, she had been at home and he hadn’t been when whatever happened happened.

Sighing, he let out a deep breath before opening his eyes. His meditation always ended like this. Calm, but concerned. About what happened when he died. About his current circumstances. About if those he cared about were ok.

Stretching his arms above his head he let out a languid yawn and felt the stiffened muscles throughout his back work themselves loose. Beside him, Niels began moving around in much the same manner as he left his own meditation. The two enjoyed a companionable silence as Elijah simply focused on maintaining the calm that had been provided by his ability.

“You doing ok Elijah?” The other man gave him a sympathetic look, but a serious one. “We’ve noticed you seem to meditate more because you need to then because you want to. You aren’t the first person like that, but we need to know we can rely on you when the time comes.”

“I’m fine Niels. Just, working through everything that happened recently.”

“Alright, but make sure you let me know if that changes. I’m responsible for this party, and I will kick you just as fast for refusing to talk to me as I will if you tell me you are having a mental breakdown.”

#

“Styles are…a state of mind. It’s a mentality of how you are going to use your spells and weapons. Most incorporate a few vague techniques that can easily be adapted to any set of spells or abilities, but almost none of them are what you would really call detailed. The sheer variety of abilities means that even two people with the same weapon, elemental affinities, and even teacher are not guaranteed to have the same or even similar spells.

“Because of this, combat styles tend to focus on mental exercises that will allow you to better utilize your abilities in specific ways. Some focus on splitting your attention to control multiple different spells at once while others focus on successfully maintaining one spell for as long as possible for example.”

Elijah had mentioned that using his spells felt unnatural to some degree, not merging into his fighting as well as he would like. Like he was casting spells and fighting with his sword, but not doing both at once. The disconnect, it turned out, was very common for new adventurers. Seba had been more than happy to tell him about the solution for the issue as well.

“Niels, for example, employs something called the Three Dragon’s Style. His style focuses on maintaining three offenses at any given time, usually his two short swords and a spell. The style includes mental exercises for essentially automating a single spell while offering a number of patterns for two other actively maintained attacks. It’s a highly aggressive style that focuses almost purely on offense and leaves little to no thought for real defense. Something more broadly described as an Assault style.”

“What about yourself? What kind of style do you have?”

“I use something called the Creeping Death Style. It focuses on layering multiple spells into a weapon for a single attack and casting spells as discreetly as possible. It’s meant for quick bursts of damage before you fade into the shadows. The style is especially effective for people like me who have spells that continue to damage an opponent after the initial hit.”

Elijah couldn’t fully keep the disappointment out of his voice as he responded, “Neither of those styles seem very useful for me if I’m being honest. Does Theo or Rory use a more defensive style by any chance? Or at least something I could use?”

Seba gave him a slightly pitying look before he began to talk, “Unfortunately, Theo doesn’t actually use a combat style. Rather than spending the time practicing one, he researches new alchemy recipes and prepares potions. His abilities are, for the most part, not well suited for live combat so he doesn’t have the same issue.”

Seba’s tone began to brighten as he continued though, “Rory doesn’t use a true defense style, but he does use one that you would probably find useful. It’s called the Combat Architect Style and focuses on two things. Creating physical constructs using your magic as efficiently as possible, which I doubt you’ll find particularly useful, and maintaining a mental map of the battlefield along with everyone’s position.”

“I have to admit that sounds like a pretty good first step. It won’t really help with the actual feeling of disconnect unfortunately, but if I can better keep track of everything that is happening in more hectic battles, I will at least be able to find better opportunities to use my spells.” As he spoke, Elijah felt himself warming to the idea. He would definitely be talking to Rory in the near future about the style. He just hoped the prickly ice mage would be willing to help.

Seba continued, unaware of Elijah’s concerns about the other team member, “It’s not really meant as a front-line style, so there are definite disadvantages. Like you said, it’s not really meant to be combined with a weapon, so you are still going to have issues when it comes to balancing swinging and casting. Maybe Niels could help you out more, he might know about some other styles.”

#

Unfortunately, Niels had not been able to provide Elijah with a better way forward. He did know at least a little about three other styles, but they were all highly aggressive. Two were other assault styles while the third was a wind mage specific style focused on aerial combat that Niels had initially learned before shifting to the Three Dragons Style.

That wasn’t to say he hadn’t been able to help though. Instead, he had agreed with Seba and Elijah that learning Rory’s style was a good starting point. After that, he suggested Elijah simply take a part of one of the other styles and create his own. The common wisdom was to wait until at least high D rank to create your own style, but doing so was not unheard of. Especially with the help of an experienced individual like Niels who had practiced multiple styles assisting the person.

There were weaknesses to this approach of course. Lack of any formal teachers to help Elijah advance in the style as he advanced in rank, both due to the unique aspects of whatever style he created and a general recalcitrance of trainers to teach a “bastardized” version of their style. The need to resolve any gaps or disconnects in an imperfect style on his own. A less complete foundation.

All of that was still preferable, at least in Niels opinion, to selecting a style ill fitted to Elijah’s situation or not learning a style at all. He argued that learning half a style was going to result in many of the same difficulties moving forward as creating unique style. Because of that, if Elijah wanted to learn a complete style that would mean settling for one of Niels three assault styles or Seba’s Creeping Death Style. All of which were unsuited to Elijah’s preferences and just as likely to see him killed as to help him.

With all that in mind, Niels had told him a few more details about the other two styles he knew at least the basics of and encouraged Elijah to think about which would be most comfortable for him. Niels had advised him not to rush the decision, as even if he decided to shift styles in the future whatever he chose now was likely to have a heavy influence on how he fought. It would also likely impact how his spells developed, causing them to shift in order to align with his Style.

“You need something that feels natural. Something comfortable while still being practical. Obviously, that means something that matches with your powers, but more importantly it means matching with how you see yourself fighting. You could easily incorporate the stealth aspects of Seba’s style to create an approach where you slowly bleed out your opponents, maintaining just enough proximity to keep your enemy within your aura. That’s not you though.” He had said.

So now Elijah had a choice. Niels, Seba, and he had gone through and pulled out specific aspects and training methods from the four other styles the team knew enough to teach him. They had written up a brief idea of what the styles would add to his own combat and a few early practice techniques to help him get a feel for it. Then they sent him off to meditate on the question.

From the Three Dragon Style, Niels had pulled out the techniques that emphasized splitting your attention in three directions. Niels had posited that taking such an approach would result in Elijah eventually needing to focus on a single, primary spell. From there he would slowly learn to automate that spell. The effects would be minor at his current spell ranks, but once he evolved his favored spell into an Intermediate version that would change. He would begin making massive strides in his improvement as the versatility of the spell increased.

Niels had suggested either focusing on his armor or aura spell if he went that route. He believed focusing on the armor spell would eventually allow Elijah to quickly and easily shift the form of his armor, adapting it for any incoming attack. He would slowly integrate automatic responses, allowing him to thicken, harden, or reinforce individual areas as he improved.

If he focused on his aura as his favored spell on the other hand, his aura would become much more responsive in the long run. It would shift itself to the situation, focusing the power of the aura on a single target or excluding allies automatically. Acting as an extension of Elijah’s subconscious will and no longer requiring the same level of direct control.

Obviously neither would be capable of such feats right off the bat. Instead, he would simply find it easier to cast the varying forms of the spell such as Blood Roil Burst or Blood Chrysalis. They would shift more quickly or more powerfully and begin to feel more natural to use.

The second style Niels knew was called the Twin Blades Style. It focused on empowering a pair of twinned weapons with single use melee spells. Unlike the Three Dragon Style, which focused on controlling each hand separately, the Twin Blade style focused on using both hands in support of one another, trading versatility for power. Niels believed Elijah could adapt it in two ways. He could either switch to a paired set of spiked shields, allowing him to turn into an impenetrable wall, or continue using the sword and shield approach, turtling behind the shield while using the sword to strike out when available.

Either way, Vampiric Strike and Blood Blade would slowly become the core of his offensive strategy and would likely become geared for rapid and continuous use as he grew in power. His Aura and Armor would remain spells that he simply activated at the beginning of combat and forgot about, his mental focus instead being on empowering his weapons at critical moments. Most likely, his Blood Blade spell would eventually grow to have more immediate empowerment options. Growing in length or reinforcing his strength for a split moment for example.

The Unstoppable Vanguard Style was the last style from Niels repertoire. The style focused on powerful, charging strikes to break the enemy and overwhelm them with brute force. Niels believed that, if they switched out Elijah’s weapons for a tower shield and some kind of polearm, they could create a style for him that focused on initiating combat and drawing the opponents attention. The style’s users tended to focus on a large number of passive spells, along with a singe powerful enforcement technique activated during their charge.

Niels believed that if Elijah went this route, his blood blade and vampiric strike would eventually need to be merged together. From there, it would likely evolve into a spell that quickly applied a large amount of bleeding to the opponent. If he was lucky, he would be able to merge it with Blood Roil Burst as well to quickly begin affecting his opponents with his aura as well. The style would be ideal for fighting individual targets, but less useful against hordes of enemies.

The Creeping Death style was something of a middle ground between the Twin Blades style and the Unstoppable Vanguard Style. Unlike the Unstoppable Vanguard Style, it would take time to set up his most powerful attacks as he slowly layered and enhanced spells on his swords. The end result would likely be slightly less dangerous as well. On the other hand, he would be able to use it much more often and while already engaged in combat, something users of the Unstoppable Vanguard style tended to have difficulty with.

If decided to go with the Creeping Death Style, it was likely that the bleed effect on his spells would strengthen and that they would gain additional effects from being charged over time. Niels said he would likely need to focus mostly on his shield play while slowly layering spell after spell on his sword. Only using the weapon to strike on rare occasions once it was ready.

He had time to make his decision thankfully. Niels had told Elijah that he shouldn’t start learning a style just yet. Instead, Niels wanted him to focus on opening his first Ki Channel and stabilizing his meditation. Niels had told him he would have time to start practicing a style once “his metaphysical and physical self-rebalanced following the transformation”.

#

Elijah had been practicing for most of two weeks for what was coming next, but that still wasn’t enough to satisfy Niels. The man stood in front of him, wearing a look not unlike the one of the drill sergeants from Elijah’s days in basic training. It provided a small amount of comfort as he thought back to a time that had been grueling, but also given him irreplaceable tools that he had applied to much of his life. It also brought a certain level of obedience as he flashed back to those ten weeks of hell.

“What is Ki Elijah?”

“Sir, the link between soul and body, much like Mana is the link between the soul and the world.”

“Good. What is the first step to gaining control of your Ki?”

“The creation of a Ki Pool by redistributing Mana into the body, sir.” His tone made it clear that Elijah had learned what Niels had been teaching him inside and out. That he was fully prepared for the moment.

“Show me the cycling technique I taught you.”

“Yes sir.”

Elijah began to concentrate on his Mana, feeling the core where the mysterious energy gathered. He felt the natural flow it wanted to follow. Cycling through the limbs alongside his vascular system, releasing small amount out into the world while simultaneously drawing external energy in. He focused on a single vein. One that ran from his core, out into his right arm, and back in to his core. A long, simple loop. Then, he began to reverse it.

Rather than allowing the mana to escape out into the world, he began to force it into his muscles, bones, and organs in a single spot just outside his core. The mana attempting to come into his body was forced away as he isolated himself from the world on a metaphysical level. Once the mana was diffused into his body, forcefully gathered it into a small bubble. The energy wanted to go back into his mana veins, but he didn’t let it. Instead, he drew it along just outside his mana vein. Inch by inch he carved a small tunnel through his body until it looped through the entire limb. The entire process burned, like the buildup of lactic acid after a long work out combined with muscle cramps. Every second felt wrong. Eventually, the path returned to the vicinity of his core and he forcefully drew it back in.

“Good. Keep going. Gather the mana together as you draw it back, do not let it surround the mana vein. Make it flow in a parallel, reversed stream. You don’t need to rush, take it a step at a time.”

Elijah slowed down. He had created the loop, but now he began to slowly force more and more energy through it. Just a little bit at once. A single droplet of energy at a time. The pain slowed, the burning aching sensation radiating its way outward at a snail’s pace. Each minute the flow strengthened just a tiny bit.

The path he’d made was miniscule. A silly straw compared to the industrial pipe his mana flowed through. This was the furthest he had gone in the past, and the path he had carved into his body would be quick to repair. His Mana Vein would be hungry to reclaim the lost energy while his physical self actively wanted to reject the infusion of foreign energy, much in the same way it would attempt to resist a foreign spell.

“Good. A textbook example of this technique. Keep it cycling slowly and begin working on your other arm.”

That was new. Elijah had been expecting to stop after he stabilized. Niels must have felt he was finally ready to start on the next step, something Elijah personally hadn’t expected to have come up for another week at least.

“Reinforce the flow Elijah. You are getting distracted. Don’t be.”

Brought back to himself, he quickly let a few more drops of his precious mana into the existing flow in his right arm. It had begun to shrink back down already, but the influx of new energy kept it back at the size he had been managing previously. He kept an eye on it for a few seconds, making sure it was back to stable, then he turned his attention to the next step.

Slowly he repeated the process until the burning sensation was engulfing his left arm as well and he had to fight the urge to move. To attempt to stretch out what felt like a building cramp across both arms. An inch at a time he fought to regain complete control of himself, until he no long felt the urge to shake his arms like one of those inflatable tube dancers at an auto dealer.

“You are doing great Elijah. Now, I need you to connect the two flows. They should still connect to your core, but draw the enemy from your right arm across your core and out into your left arm. Make it a continuous cycle.”

Slowly, he did. As he did, he began to feel the telltale tingling, almost heat that had accompanied the entire process build in his chest. It was like heartburn. An inescapable ember deep in his torso that he couldn’t relieve. Knowing that stopping it was futile, he did his best to ignore it. To put aside the discomfort and focus on the flow of energy.

It wasn’t enough. The compounding burning sensation kept drawing away his attention and he couldn’t keep up the balancing act of the energy flowing through his arms. Too little and the newly created tunnel would shrink and close. Too much and it felt like he was pumping hot coals through his body. His concentration broke and he subconsciously forced his mana through his meditation cycle as he attempted to reduce his pain.

He stopped himself before he’d been at it for more than a few seconds, but that was enough to undo his hard work. The first part of the new pathway he’d been carving was collapsed and without infusion of more mana from the starting point, the rest quickly followed.

“Good first attempt Elijah. We will try again in a half hour. Usually, I would make you wait until at least the evening, but we are under a little bit more of time constraint than most.”

Panting and curled over in a position similar to a seated bow, but eager to try again, he could only give the other man a thumb’s up and grunted “Yes sir” in response.

#

It took him three attempts to finally stabilize the connected flow of both arms. After that he had done the same to his left leg before linking the outgoing flow of energy from his left arm to the incoming flow of his left leg. If linking the flows of his arms together had been like heartburn, adding his leg to the pathway had been like somebody had used hit torso as a firepit.

He’d been warned that the pain would escalate as he went through the process, but he hadn’t been expecting it to increase so drastically. Thankfully, prepping his right leg would likely be the hardest part of the entire experience. While the fourth and fifth steps might be more painful, Elijah had been assured they were significantly faster.

It had still taken him seven tries to finish his left leg.

“Now, link your leg into the channel you have created. Left leg to right leg to right arm.”

Elijah could only grit his teeth and give a sharp nod in response. Any more than that and he’d lose focus. He started with the connecting the flows between his two legs, immediately causing an uncomfortable burning in his pelvic area, only for the heat to take over his entire body when he finally linked his right leg to his right arm. It was as though his entire body was being swarmed by fire ants while he wore a full suit made out of carpet, biting and stinging their way across friction burned flesh.

“Last step Elijah.” Niels cool voice cut through the pain, forcing its way into his mind and causing him to jump to attention like a freshly trained private. “Build up some mana in your core. Just enough for something like your bleed spell. Dam it up and hold it back. Let your new veins dry out a little.”

Elijah did his best, ignoring the protests of his body and the despair he felt as the veins slowly began to shrink. It was taking a while. He hadn’t realized how large they had gotten as he finished the process. They would still disappear sooner versus later, but he had a little time.

“Wait for my signal Elijah. When you release the mana into your new veins, immediately start using the drill part of the meditation style I taught you. Force your mana deeper and deeper into your core. Understand?”

Elijah forced his stiff neck to nod. This wasn’t new information. He knew he had to do all this. The pain made it hard to remember though, and he was thankful he had Niels voice guiding him through the process.

“Hold it just a moment longer…Now!”

Immediately, he forced the withheld mana into his newly carved Ki channel, returning focus to his core. With difficulty, he focused on the meditative technique. He could feel the mana forcing its way through, shoving the channel far wider than it had ever been before. Each second he felt like parts of his arms and legs were going to burst, but he ignored it and focused on drilling deeper and deeper into his core.

It was only possible because the entire technique was so heavily engraved into his head. It was nearly second nature to him at this point and he felt himself following the entire meditative technique he had been taught. For a moment he worried that that was going to ruin everything, but he felt a calming hand on his back and voice telling him to keep going.

The channels running through his arms and legs began to grow channels of their own. Smaller veins forcing their way into the surrounding tissue as the mana passed through. In his core something began to grow. A bubble of mana forcing its way out the side of the core, like when you are making a balloon animal and twist off a little bit of the balloon. The bubble was growing, slowly but surely, and he could see that his new Ki Channel connected solely to the protrusion from his core.

With something not unlike a *POP* echoing through his body, he felt a blinding white flash of light and briefly lost consciousness. Before he could even start to topple over, he regained his wits and realized the pain was gone. Looking within himself, he realized he now had two cores.

Each had a slightly different type of energy flowing through it, and the new one was anemic compared to the original. He could feel that there was a connection between the two cores. A one-way flow of energy from his Mana Core to his new Ki Core.

“Congratulation on partially opening your first Ki Channel Elijah. How do you feel?”