Ebon Dirge was intrigued by his new subject's progress. He had expected that he'd need to provide some more pointers before the prince came to a solution, but outside of a moment of detectable panic it had come almost instantly, and in a way he wouldn't have dreamed of.

The trick of folding one's spiritual sense for probing was indeed rare. Most of those who practiced it were either born with inherently strong souls or developed it after they had completed Nascent Birth. The technique was taxing to the mind and soul rather than in any physical sense, but the rewards were immense.

Erik did not meet either qualification. Dirge gauged the prince's soul strength at the level of an Earth-grade talent. Grading of a soul inside the mortal ranks used the same terms as the mortal realms of Physique Tempering: Mortal, Earth, Sky, King. Above those was Emperor and others as well, but one did not encounter those naturally in those who hadn't yet reached Nascent Soul. The primary use of the gauge was in determining who could complete that step, and each rank above Mortal represented a large chance, with a King-grade enough to almost guarantee success.

Dirge himself had been born as a quasi-Sky soul talent and had only practiced spiritual sense folding at the Foundation Building stage because it had been forced on him and with the guidance of another. Erik, meanwhile, had stumbled across the threshold unknowingly.

This was the hallmark of the power the ancient devil sought, that ability to transform a moment of failure into an opportunity. Weaving fate alone was pushing against a wall, but destiny made doors appear in that wall.

"Onyx? Is everything all right?" Dirge's contemplation was interrupted as the prince entered the cave.

"Yes, master," the devil replied. "Place the sticks in the oven and spread them out evenly. Then you will want to supply me with essence and carve out a portion for cooking before we proceed."

Strictly speaking, Dirge required no essence from the prince to perform all his feats as a weapon. Given the current state of his soul, manifesting simple phenomena like those he employed was a matter of imposing his will. The hilt's crystal lattice was a decent conductor but wasn't useful as storage; he was merely establishing some room for independent action if he needed it. Of course, he would continue to accept -- and disperse -- Erik's essence because it gave the young man a sense of control over the situation.

Before long, the prince had laid the sticks in the oven and carved out a section of ribs from a carcass, carefully cleaning it under Dirge's instruction until it looked like something one might prepare for cooking. The devil's unusual repertoire included knowing proper culinary practice, something picked up when he was exploring the concept of Gluttony to complete his path of sin.

"As we are lacking the usual tools for this occasion, you will need to improvise, master," Dirge announced. "You will need to use your own essence to maintain the proper height of your meal through its cooking. Maintaining that state for a couple hours will be good practice in energy circulation. First, we must see to a fire."

"I'm not good with fire conjuring, but I guess I can give it a try, Onyx," Erik admitted.

"You will do no such thing, master. Since we have already touched the threshold of Darkness, now is the time for you to explore Lightning."

The prince frowned. "I--"

"--have never practiced anything related to lighting," Dirge interrupted, already knowing the coming excuse. "Of that I am aware, master. This is another initial exploration of your potential. If you are unable to ignite the fuel then I can perform that task for you."

Erik's posture straightened and the devil could tell he had tensed at the unspoken rebuke, exactly as intended. The prince had pulled out a miracle once already when his concern over being useless had grown, and there was hope to see a repeat here.

"Your right hand's palm has an opened acupoint, so that will be where we focus our effort this time. Have you experienced a thunderstorm outside before, master?"

The prince shook his head. "No, I've always been indoors when one has started. I've seen the flashing through the curtains and heard the rumble of thunder, but I've never had the occasion to get a good look."

Dirge manipulated the weapon hilt to float in front of Erik. "I can demonstrate for you, master, but it will be a little taxing on my energy store. It's going to be bright, but you'll need to look at it. Are you prepared?"

Erik nodded. "Sorry to be a pain, Onyx."

"This isn't a problem, master. My function is education, and that often requires demonstration. Now, if you pay attention to my top, I will release a bolt for you to observe." Dirge turned the hilt pommel down and let the broken top glow for a moment before releasing a bolt of lightning at the cave ceiling. A small shower of dust fell after as the prince blinked his eyes rapidly, no doubt trying to clear the afterimage burned into them.

Dirge wasn't especially talented at lightning himself, but his exploration of Wrath had delved into its mysteries since lightning was the so-called manifestation of heaven's own wrath.

"That was... quick. And bright." Erik mused out loud. "But I didn't hear any thunder, more of a... hissing?"

"The speed of lightning is notable, yes," Dirge agreed. "Lightning is fast and energetic. The sound of thunder is something that comes from large bolts energizing a great volume of air, which in the proportions we're dealing with now is not sufficient, leaving only the hiss of its passage. Your goal now is to transform the essence you expel into something like that and strike the fuel in the oven."

"That'll start a fire?" The extreme sheltering the prince had experienced was fully manifested in that statement, being unaware of such a possibility.

"Yes, master. If you are familiar with the Five Elements Theory then it could be described as fueling the process of Wood generating Fire."

Erik shook his head. "Can't say I've heard that one, but I'll take your word for it. So I just... point my hand and try and shoot essence turned to lightning into the oven?"

"It would probably be best if you were closer, master. The inscribed restriction will allow you to provide energy from the outside and will keep the heat inside once a fire has started."

The prince moved close to the oven and held his right hand right outside its aperture. "Well, here goes nothing."

Dirge watched as Erik circulated his essence and directed it to the palm acupoint that was specified, but for several minutes nothing happened. Sweat beaded on the young man's forehead as he concentrated, and his breathing grew ragged, but no lightning came. After a quarter hour of this, the devil saw the exercise wasn't going anywhere. The prince probably needed more demonstration to fix the concept.

"Onyx?" Erik called right as Dirge was about to intervene.

"Yes, master?"

"Do you have enough energy for another bolt?"

"I can manage a couple more on my current reserve."

The prince turned away from the oven and towards Dirge, taking in a deep breath. "Okay then. Could you shoot the next one... at me?"

The devil planned to make the experience of being struck by lightning part of Erik's education, but he had not anticipated that the young man would ask for it beforehand. He had planned to save it for a larger discussion on the path of cultivation and how it was cruel to oneself, but it looked like that would be unnecessary. "I can, and it would be an excellent opportunity for you, master. Are you certain you can handle it, though?"

"If you say I can handle it physically, then I'll do it, Onyx."

"You are capable and I can calibrate it to an acceptable degree, master, but there is a question of your ability to mentally endure it. There is no point in the exercise if I dull the pain you will feel, and you will gain nothing if you use essence to shield yourself from the brunt of the impact."

"I understand," Erik replied, his hands trembling a little. "I'll trust your judgment since you're the one who knows best here." The prince outstretched his arms, waiting.

Dirge pointed the hilt's tip in the young man's direction. "Open up all of your senses including your spiritual sense. Experience lightning with your totality and brand it into your memory. Commencing firing."

The small bolt of lightning struck the prince with enough force to slam him into the wall next to the oven's aperture. Erik's limbs jerked for a moment as the energy ran its course through him, but he quickly steadied himself, taking several deep breaths. "Th-that was... s-something," he said, peeling away from the wall and using his hands to smooth over the hairs on his arms.

"Do you require another, master?" Dirge probed.

Erik shook his head. "No, no, I think I have a much better idea now. I think I'll try again and let you know if I need another dose."

"As you wish." Dirge wanted to see if the young man crossed the line between boldness and stupidity and this time it looked like he stayed on the safe side of it. Even he would have chosen to test his comprehension first, given the same situation.

The prince resumed his position in front of the oven and again began circulating his energy. This time, a tingle could be sensed in the air almost immediately. Two minutes later, a small jolt shot out from his palm, although it didn't go far.

"It worked! Kind of..." Erik shook his head. "I don't know that I'll be able to get the fuel lit, though. Could I trouble you, Onyx?"

"I can handle it this time, master. You've made excellent progress in a very short amount of time. Your achievements will only rise from here."

Dirge could have continued pushing, but the prince had in fact made astounding progress and was nearing his limits. Insisting on more could not only be counterproductive but might even invite a backlash that the devil did not wish to risk. He manipulated the hilt to move to a position at the oven and let out a gout of flame to ignite the sticks laying at its bottom.

"Uh, I hate to say this now, Onyx, but maybe I should cut some more meat to cook?" The prince gave a sheepish grin.

"That would extend the cooking time, master. Let us proceed with the current rack of ribs and then there is one additional test we'll undertake after you have something in your stomach."

Dirge proceeded to guide the prince through roasting the rack of ribs, giving pointers on the proper distance from the flames and such, even as his primary thread of attention turned to his inner world.

Looming above the emptiness like a sovereign was the black book that was the manifestation of Dirge's path: the Codex of Sin. The devil stimulated the volume and under great effort the cover opened a couple finger widths. A single page, black and inscribed with silvery runes, left the book before it closed.

Dirge examined the Page of Gluttony, ensuring that its spirituality was appropriate for the occasion. Erik had demonstrated an affinity for emptiness when he was training his spiritual sense, and so the devil decided to gift the prince a fragment of his power. With this page, that emptiness would become the gateway for a devouring power that was suitable for a practitioner of Darkness methods.

Previously, two pages had been granted to Dirge's previous experiment, but River had urgently needed a boost of power that could help him confront those bandits. This time, the prince's circumstances had given him the leisure to hold off until he could pick something appropriate.

It was a pity that he had gone through the effort of constructing that oven, though. After Erik received his new "gift", he may very well never bother with cooking again.