Chapter 6 : The crimson core

Crimson core

"Skipping from tree to tree still feels bizarre yet exciting!" Aldo thought on his way to the area depicted on the map. The area is inside an unusually dense forest which is deeply secluded within the territory. Aldo stopped at what seems to be the center of the forest and there he found an opening that leads deep underground. "Hah, no wonder I missed it." Aldo muttered as he struggled to enter the underground cave through the small entrance. The narrow passage continues for 13 meters of near vertical descent until Aldo reaches the dome of the cave. The dome only has a length of 9 meters and a height of 6 meters from the roof of the cave and the surface of the water. However, Aldo's attention was immediately caught by the eerie red glow of the water in the cave. "Haha, here it is in all its glory" he said as he marveled at the sight of the spring. Aldo removed his top as he walked closer to the spring. "Hmm, if memory serves right, the core is at the bottom of the spring." he said as he stretched. Aldo dived into the spring, the water was surprisingly warm. As he swam deeper, the red glow gradually became brighter and brighter. Eventually, the glow appeared to be like light from a lightbulb, the source being a fist sized gem at the bottom. Aldo grasped the gem and immediately swam upwards, letting out air bubbles on the way. He gasped for air as soon as he broke through the surface of the water. "Holy shit! That was deeper than I expected!" he exclaimed as he swam to the edge of the spring. As he got out of the water, the red glow of the spring water gradually faded and the whole cave was illuminated with a red glow from the gemstone. Aldo stared at the gem in a trance, its glow was so captivating and almost hypnotizing. "Here it is, the first of five, the crimson core of life." he said. Aldo can no longer contain his excitement "The power over life and evolutions!" he exclaimed. He then felt instant regret after uttering such embarrassing words followed by relief that no one heard him.

"Well then, it was said that the king of the beasts absorbed the crimson core. How the hell do I do that?" Aldo said as he scratched his head.

"Do I eat it?" Aldo thought. "No, no way. It's as big as my fist!" he concluded after a brief brainstorming.

"Oh fuck it, might as well try." He thought. However, Aldo felt suddenly felt a sharp pain on the palm of his hand. Emanating from the crimson core was a black substance that moved like a liquid yet as hard as solid. The black substance formed spikes that pierced through Aldo's palm. The substance moved beneath his skin, like vines it crawled into his veins. He began to sweat bullets, the pain so intense that he could not even scream. Just when the pain seemed too much to bear, it suddenly disappeared. "What the fuck! I thought I was gonna lose my mind!" Aldo exclaimed as he fell on his knees, panting. As he examined his hand, dark liquid flowed from his hand, travelling towards his chest. "Am I venom?" he muttered with a slight grin on his face. The crimson core has been embedded in his chest with the red glow nowhere to be seen. Aldo was surprised to see the core in his chest and was even initially repulsed at the sight of the stone. "Freaky, good thing it doesn't hurt or anything." He said while touching the gem. With the blinding light from the gem gone, Aldo was able to examine the cave easier. The spring water retained a faint crimson glow even without the core. "The core must've been here for so long that the spring absorbed some of its essence." He thought. Having a bit of the essence left in the spring will result to the discovery of the core missing to be delayed. Overcame with excitement for his newfound power, Aldo can't help but to let out grin.

Aldo started to climb back the narrow entrance of the cave with difficulty. Unsurprisingly, a sharp jagged portion of the entrance scrapped and cut Aldo's hand. The pain made him winced and stop climbing. As he examined the wound, he noticed that it was deeper than he expected. However, black liquid came rushing under his skin towards the wound. In a matter of moments, the bleeding wound healed. "This is something else." Aldo thought in amazement. What is even more interesting, the pain that he initially felt immediately turned into a feeling of pleasure. Much like stretching or sitting down after standing for a while. "I hope this doesn't mean that I will become a masochist." Aldo thought worriedly.