As the moon illuminated the sky, Estera burned. Thousands of spaceships scoured the city for its resources, capturing humans and all they could get their hands on. But only two ships knew the true purpose for the raid.

[The Artifact is acquired, Master. We must leave before the Crimson Order gets wind of its location.]

"Yes, yes," Carl waved D3-V1 off, staring at the two screens before him. The first screen played a recording of Eon's battle, looping back to the moment he sliced off the void walker's hand.

Carl had retrieved the footage from his relic-slave the moment the vault opened. The second screen showed live footage of his enforcer. The krell held what was once Eon in a psionic cradle, containing his rampaging energies.

Carl salivated as the void mixed with lightning. It was almost complete, but he needed something more. Something to right the balance of the affinity or else the kid would die, and he would have lost Uillourn for nothing.

Seeing credits flash in her master's eyes, D3-V1 spoke up. [He's not going to make it, besides the Artifact will grant you more money than he ever could.]

"But did you see him move? He's a star," ignoring D3-V1, Carl opened a connection to his strongest gladiator. "Drex, find a way to stabilize his condition, and I'll personally fund your next breakthrough. I'm sending over crystals as we speak."

"No need," Drexel reported back from inside the vault. I found something that should do the trick."

Carl followed Drexel's gaze through the connection linked to his ship.

[Blood of Sylvia Stormlight]

"Oh my," he chuckled, hearing the sound of the Arena. "Yes! Feed it to him."

***

A scorching lance of pure Arc Energy pulled Eon out from the clutches of the reaper, dunking him in a bath of burning needles.

He gasped as his body started to reform, pain echoing down a shadow of his limbs that only a minute before ceased to exist.

What, his consciousness started to return. Happened?

Slowly, his mind pieced everything together, recalling the moment he stood on the sky tower overlooking Estera.

Raiders! He remembered in a painful cry, wincing as his nerves were shocked into existence. Shark's vicious smile entered his mind a moment later, followed by Rat and the sickly green skin of the psionic void walker.

That's right, you ugly bastard!

A sense of pride echoed over Eon, victory had never felt so good. But then he remembered the enforcer, wondering how he had survived.

First, he survived the Baptism, which was a shock that he couldn't wrap his mind around. He remembered dying, slipping into a slumber that felt nothing like sleep. Pain was an understatement, far worse than what he felt now. Besides physical, the experience brought a mental anguish that plagued him until he could no longer feel. A migraine of regret and failure. Lost hope and worry for those he left behind.

Merely recalling death caused him to shutter, shivering from another bout of electricity that ran through him. But failed he had not, he had survived. Gaining a second chance at life, and this time he wouldn't screw it up.

The enforcer had allowed him to finish the Baptism, no doubt to force him into being a relic-slave, and he had to flee before the bomb was planted. They couldn't attach cyberware to him due to the state he was in, and he wanted it to remain that way.

In his free flowing energy state, where his disintegrated body reformed, he knew that he could move, he just had to figure out how. A difficult task considering he had no legs. Maybe I can move like a fish?

Focusing his mind, Eon willed himself forward.

Is it working?

Doubt plagued his mind, but he brushed it aside. Now was the most important time to keep up one's spirits.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

He continued for a minute when he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. And where would he even go?

If only I had eyes. That would at least help to measure distance.

The thought tugged at Eon until he recalled a talk with A'steri. She had explained to him the benefits of Arc Energy for psionics, detailing how they increased their power. He wouldn't have believed her if he hadn't seen her absorb Arc Crystals, claiming she used them to improve her attributes by assigning Energy Points.

But wasn't he one of them now? Why should he have to wait until he fully reformed? Killing the void walker had turned him into a psionic, he should have some Energy Points to work with.

Hmm… what was the keyword she said? Eon wondered. It was something ridiculous, wasn't it? Oh, I remember. Status.

Eon felt a ripple in his mind, blocking access to the status screen. A mental wall that if he could just push past, he might… Status!

The wall crumbled, and archaic symbols riddled with power flashed before him. Bright lights that beat away the darkness. Eventually, the ancient text transformed, morphing for his understanding.

Name: Eon

Level: 3

Energy type: Lightning

Attributes

Power: 5

Spirit: 3

Perception: 3

Strength: 0

Constitution: 0

Dexterity: 0

Energy Points: 21

It was all true; the gamified stats that psionics inherited. Or was it the other way around? Certain aspects like class and health systems were missing, however. After all, games were just that, games. Fantasy worlds crafted for entertainment. But the status screen was unmistakably a status screen. He even had points to assign. Five of which he gained for surviving the Baptism.

Eon pictured the runes of his status screen before they morphed for him. They had shined bright with power, his power.

Is that what reality is, a game? Nexus Realms are equivalent to Dungeons after all, that can't possibly be a coincidence… right?

Eon wondered who implanted the bizarre effects into the energy. It seemed impossible that the effects formed naturally, leading him to recall the various religions throughout the galaxy.

If only I spoke with A'steri more about this. She must have had some insight into the origins of Arc Energy.

Pushing his questions to the side, Eon focused back on his status screen when he realized his level ticked up along with his attributes. Now he was level 4 and gained 1 point in Power, Spirit, and Perception, the attributes governed by his concentration of Arc Energy.

His physical attributes remained at 0, however. It seemed his body was far from reforming itself. But once his form coalesced, he would be multiple levels higher.

Wait a second… What will happen if I start assigning points to my physical attributes now, would that expedite the process? Or would it be a total waste?

Eon had gained a whopping 21 Energy Points after killing the void walker and becoming a psionic, and he had no interest in carelessly assigning them. Deciding to wait and see if his physical stats increased, he focused on the energy-based attributes first. Having learned about them long ago, he was eager to put them to the test.

The first attribute, Power, increased the potency of a psionic's energy. Energy skills like the one that ripped Giraffe's arm off would have its suction power increased. Defensive abilities would see an increase in durability. Whereas speed-based skills like [Wind Song] would receive a similar related bonus.

Nexus up was Spirit, the attribute that enhanced a psionic's access to their natural energy. By upgrading it, one's energy pool increased, reducing the cost of affinity-based skills. Through the enhancement, psionics also gained a greater knack for energy recovery.

As Eon looked at the third attribute, Perception, he had a suspicion that it was the main reason for A'steri's uncanny ability to sense deception.

Perception is the most unique after all, blending a mix of physical and spiritual awareness. Maybe I should start with this, there's no telling how long my eyes will take to recover. Besides, if I remember correctly, this attribute passively supports energy control and manipulation. Similar to the Intelligence stats in those old school RPGs, it should help me recall energy patterns and fluctuations by raising my awareness.

Finally, he reached the physical attributes. With increased stats, his body would become a true conduit of Arc Energy, able to conduct the energy in a manner that heightened his prowess without drawing on his energy reserves.

Strength improved his musculature system by feeding his cells with energy and granting him the might of a giant in a human's body. On the other hand, the Constitution attribute was more diverse, raising his vitality through a number of ways. Mostly, it added a resistance to his body that fended off poisons and protected major organs from some of the most lethal attacks. Unfortunately, once a person's head was decapitated, there was nothing the attribute could do.

That was where Dexterity came in for species with softer flesh. The agility-based attribute focused on speed and reaction time, enhancing one's nervous system with lightning fast reflexes.

Which should I assign first? Eon thought. Briefly he wondered if points assigned to the physical attributes would change his body, deviating from its original template before it reformed.

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see… no pun intended.

Eon slowly added 5 points to Perception, gaining a new sense that spread his awareness once the stat reached 10.

Odd? He thought, feeling himself in some sort of bubble. A perfectly smooth sphere that resisted his energy. No… that's not Orion steel. That's—oh, of course. Damned enforcer. Now how the hell am I going to break out of this?

Unable to escape, Eon waited for another round of leveling. After his form coalesced for a second time, he gained 1 point in each of the energy-based attributes, reaching level 5.

The third coalescence, technically his sixth, arrived sometime later. From his perspective it could have been five hours or five seconds, but when it arrived he reached level 6, finally gaining a point in Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity.

Good, Eon thought. He had hoped his physical stats would increase sooner rather than later. Now he could only wait and see if each level continued to grant a point into his physical attributes.

If the pattern did indeed continue until he fully leveled, he would have totaled 13 points by leveling. Points not included in his fully formed base stats, which meant he could focus his remaining 15 Energy Points on his energy-based attributes.

With 15 points at his disposal, Eon subtracted 5, adding them to Power. That left him with 10 remaining Energy Points when he added 4 to Spirit. If his quick maths was correct, not counting his future base stats, he would have 20+ points in three attributes. Truly, the void walker had been a blessing.

I should have attempted the Baptism sooner. Maybe then the Revenant would not have filled my head with delusions of grandeur.

He would miss the AI. Miss the weight of the holo-watch on his wrist, the sway of the Acorn at his hip. But those items were things of the past. Now it was time for him to look towards the future.

Step by step, he would build himself up, mastering his newfound powers. Only then could he return to Estera and rebuild what was broken. He owed it to everyone, including himself. But until then, he would take A'steri's blade arts and advance.