The Core Problem

Megan came awake slowly. Her consciousness drifted afloat a sea of numb feelings. For a while, she couldn't even try to collect her thoughts as they circled her mind. Suddenly, her mind snapped into focus as if a switch had been flipped to 'on'.

She focused her eyes and was startled when a crack in the paint on the opposite wall came into sharp clarity in a way that it never had before. Re-focusing her vision, she realised she was on a warm surface in a small room, which was plain but very clean with white painted stone walls and a door. Surrounding her were all types of strange machines with colourful displays, the machines made strange buzzing and beeping noises as they did whatever it was they did. Megan noticed a few wires and tubes connected to various parts of her body in different ways, from simple patches stuck down with tape to needles that pierced her skin. At first, she felt a slight aversion to this invasion but realised there must be some purpose to it all and decided to wait before taking any action.

She didn't have to wait long as soon the door opened, and in walked Tau looking like he had just finished his work shift in the stables. Seeing she was awake, a big, sharp-toothed grin spread across his face as he exclaimed, "You're finally awake!" Turning around, he shouted out the door, "Doctor Harroc, she is awake!".

Footsteps could be heard approaching as Tau came to her bedside and picked up a cup with a straw and offered it to her saying, "Here Megan, you're probably thirsty considering how long you've been lying here for." She took a few sips of cool sweet water and realised that, yes, she was extremely thirsty with a very dry mouth. Tau was in the middle of a story of having to lie in the very same bed she currently occupied for a broken leg when Doctor Harroc walked into the room.

"You're awake, good." He walked over to a machine and studied the monitor, "You're vitals have stabilised now, which is again a good thing considering the circumstances and alternatives." The avian creature walked over and studied Megan intently, turning to Tau. He said, "Tau, go and get Master Zanik and be quick about it."

Tau nodded his head and rushed out of the room after glancing at Megan.

The avian doctor grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and brought it over next to Megan, sat down, then again studied Megan intently. Only when the scrutiny started to feel uncomfortable did the feathered doctor speak, "So, Megan, is it?"

Megan nodded at him, taking small sips of water from the cup on her hands, not trusting her still dry throat to speak aloud.

"Megan, what do you recall of the events that led to you waking up here?" Doctor Harroc pulled out a small box-like object from a pocket in his white coat he wore, pulled a stylus from a corner of it, and started writing on it.

Megan stared at the far wall, trying to formulate appropriate words and cleared her throat a couple of times. "I remember training with Master Zanik, then something happened in my stomach but not in my stomach. Like something was burning, but not burning, it's hard to explain." She struggled to find the right words to describe what she experienced.

Doctor Harroc nodded his head. "I've never seen it before, but I suspect you are one of the few individuals with the right genetic characteristics to be able to form what is called an energy core." He studied her reaction for a few moments before continuing, "I see you have little to no knowledge of what that means but let me explain what little I know about the subject before Master Zanik arrives who knows a lot more than what I do." He smoothed his feathers down in what looked like an effort to get more comfortable and began to speak, "So no one knows any more the origins but somewhere in the ancient past so very long ago there were a race of beings that roamed the spaces between worlds as easily as you and I can breathe."

"They controlled technology so advanced that it allowed them to manipulate the very fabric of what makes reality work and that also included the physical and biological sciences as well."

"One of the advances this race was well known for and one they even were able to pass on to others was the ability to cultivate the energies that make up the universe and grow in power with the eventual goal of obtaining immortality."

"Only a few had the ability and the vast amount of resources it took meant that even having the ability to cultivate power was not a garrantee that one would obtain an immortal state." Doctor Harroc paused and appeared deep in thought for a minute.

While he was thinking Megan heard footsteps approaching and soon Master Zanik walked in without Tau which surprised Megan so much that it must have showed on her face as, seeing her expression, Master Zanik spoke, "I would prefer to leave Tau out of this conversation although don't let that stop you from telling him what you will later. Be warned, though, that Tau can be a little excitable, and although he has all the genetic markers that indicate he should be able to cultivate, he has not managed anything so far. This is not unusual as some beings who have all the indicators go their whole lives without awakening the ability, let alone create and condense their core as you have managed to do." Master Zanik leaned back on his feet, looking thoughtful. "In fact, I can tell you that things are going to change quite significantly from now on. In awakening your ability to cultivate, you can not and will not be considered to be a slave. Doctor Harroc already took the liberty of removing your slave implant from the back of your skull while you were unconscious, and Madam Brigella, as well as Markus, have already been informed. Although whether or not Markus has gotten the message can not be confirmed yet."

Megan looked at Master Zanik without comprehending what was being said for almost a full minute before blurting, " Wha?" in a distracted way.

Master Zanik continued, "You heard correctly Megan, you are officially no longer a slave. Let me explain. Cultivators as a whole have a self-driven urge to protect and develop the realms of cultivation. Due to people being able to cultivate being so rare, especially on this planet, if any other travelling cultivator was to pass by and was to hear of a 'fellow cultivator' being enslaved there is a chance they would take it upon themselves to free the enslaved to gain the favour of other righteous cultivators. That isn't to say there are no evil cultivators, but generally, as a whole, cultivators are too arrogant and conceited to be deceitful." Master Zanik's eyes narrowed, "That said, due to the fierce fighting for resources between cultivators, you can't trust them at all." A small smile appeared on Master Zanik's face, "You can say the only thing you can trust about cultivators is that they can't be trusted."

Megan curiously asked, "Are you a cultivator Master Zanik?" After what he said, she was almost afraid to know the answer.

He replied, "I have a very small ability, you see, I came across cultivation very late in life, and the earlier you start, the better chance you have of obtaining enough power to advance. Once you get to a certain point, you gain enough power to extend your lifespan enough to get to the next level but for me even though I have some power, because of my late start I will never be able to make it far enough to reach immortality." He didn't look sad at this, but more, pensive, Megan guessed at the emotion.

Seeing her look Master Zanik replied, "Do not worry about this old Zafreen, Megan, I still have many years left in me and I do not lament my circumstances, far from it, I am very thankful for everything I have managed to gain over the years I have lived."

Doctor Harroc chose this moment to say, "Yes yes yes this is all well and good, but what we need to discuss is Megan's current situation." The doctor grabbed Megan's hand and looked at her intently, "Now Megan, what do you know about what race you are?"

Megan shrugged, "Nothing apart from I've never seen anyone like me before, Master Markus never told me, and after the first time I asked, I learned never to ask again."

Both the doctor and Master Zanik frowned at hearing that, and Master Zanik spoke, "Well, you never need to call Markus 'master' again Megan, he was never a good teacher and it will be best if I permanently took that role for you in the future if you still want to learn from what I can teach you."

Megan looked at Master Zanik and bowed her head awkwardly while sitting in bed, "I would very much like to continue learning from you Master Zanik."

Master Zanik nodded his head in acknowledgement and looked to Doctor Harroc who had got up, stepped over to a set of drawers and was bringing over a small device that looked like a wedge with a handle and a small monitor connected to the top. The doctor spoke, "I have never had any issues with this scanner before, and it has unerringly identified any species of sentient beings and non-sentient creatures or beasts I have used it on. So you can imagine my surprise when I used it on you, and it advised your species as 'classified'." He passed the device to Megan and instructed her on how to use it to scan and she used it to scan him by passing the device over some exposed skin on his arm and the device made a crisp *beep* noise and she studied the readout.

Species: Dralithian

Description: An avian race evolving on the planet Jacullia from the solar system Grove Mantung VIII. Flightless but able to jump quite large distances, this race is known to be quite intelligent and often take on roles that involve much study and due diligence.

The device went on to list the average height, weight, dietary needs, medicine tolerances, and many other things about Dralithians in general and detail.

"I was hoping that if you used the device to scan yourself, then it would allow the information on what species you are to be displayed." Doctor Harroc said hopefully.

Megan nodded. She had always been curious about what she was and would take any chance to find out. With trepidation and a little excitement, Megan turned the scanner on herself and pressed the scan button. The device appeared to take longer than usual for the *beep* this time, and the tone appeared different too. Looking down at the display, Megan was very surprised at what she saw.

Species: *classified*

Description: *Warning* Presence of unauthorised sentient beings detected. Minimum biological information only.

What followed was just basic information required to resolve injury and illness the same as any other biological data for other species. Megan chuckled and turned the display to Doctor Harroc, who frowned at what he saw. "Bah, stupid device, I have others. Take the thing with you. If you ever get into a position where it will tell you what you are, then you need to feel obligated to tell me, got it?"

Megan nodded and placed the device down on a bedside table nearby. Master Zanik spoke up, "Megan, you have managed to awaken a power core inside you the like of which I have never seen before. Most cultivators start with a small light that resembles a single flame as a kind of seed and they throw energy at it until it reaches a point that the flame becomes an orb of power, unrestrained and hard to control. Your core appears to have taken a shape, but it gives out the same aura as a regular core, and despite my gains in cultivation, I certainly can not claim to be an expert in it. As I mentioned before, I came to be a cultivator fairly late in my life when, by almost accident, I managed to find my centre and condense a core." Master Zanik stood and started walking toward the door. "Now I will let you get some rest, but starting tomorrow, we will need to get you trained in proper cultivation skills, including meditation, and start you on developing your meridians.

After Master Zanik left, Doctor Harroc spoke up, "If you feel up for it, you can go eat and sleep in your own bed, I'm sure Tau is waiting around here somewhere." He assisted her in un-attaching and removing all the cords, tubes, and wires on her body. He showed her how to fold and store the scanner device so it fit in her pocket and escorted her out of the underground laboratory where Tau was pacing around the workshop.

Tau joined her for dinner, where she pleaded off, giving too many details because of being tired, then found herself in her bedroom exhausted from the days events.

Megan didn't immediately go to sleep and sat down on her bed to consider what she had been through. She closed her eyes and clumsily felt inside herself with her unfamiliar senses and managed to locate her 'power'. Her core sat still in a space that appeared vast and infinite but was in reality taking up a tiny space that was below her heart near her spine behind most other organs and between her kidneys. She studied her core for a while, but when nothing happened, she quickly became bored and came back to herself, lay down in bed, and went to sleep.