The Power Within

As the night descended upon Golden River Lotus City, Lassim retreated to his room in the inn, seeking solace in the quiet stillness of the evening. With a deep breath, he settled onto the floor, his halberd resting across his lap as he prepared to meditate like he was taught during his intense training in the estate for the last 3 years under Sir Ian's tutelage.

Closing his eyes, Lassim focused on his breath, allowing his mind to drift as he sought to connect with the elemental energies coursing through his weapon and body. With each inhale and exhale, he felt the tingling sensation of lightning and water energy dancing along his skin, permeating every fiber of his being.

Slowly, he began to draw the energies inward, channeling them through his muscles and sinews with precision. It was a delicate balance, a dance, as he sought to harness the power of his newfound abilities and complete a circulation.

As he delved deeper into his meditation, Lassim became acutely aware of a tiny spark igniting within his heart—a flicker of energy that pulsed with the rhythm of his breath. It was the first stirrings of a power source, a reservoir of energy that would serve as a conduit for the elemental forces at his command. It resonated with the twin spirits in his weapon.

With each passing moment, the spark grew brighter, its light illuminating the darkness of his inner heart world. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced, a feeling of raw power and potential coursing through his veins.

As Lassim surrendered himself to the flow of energy, he felt a sense of peace wash over him—a deep, abiding calm that transcended the physical realm. In that moment, he connected with the twin spirits. Feeling their newborn emotions for the first time. 

They did not have complete thoughts. It was as if they were trapped inside two twin eggs with a thick shell. Their shells feeding slightly on the passive energy flowing through the weapon, into his heart world, and then back into the weapon. The only emotions he could feel were joy and hunger.

This closeness he felt was surprisingly more intimate than what he felt when looking at his mother and father!

He finally understood what Sir Ian meant when he said your weapon spirits would be your life long partner and ally. He was truly connected to their life source. If they died, he too would die.

He would need to quickly feed and nourish these twin eggs so that they could go stronger. 

As Lassim refocused his meditative state, his thoughts drifted back to a previous journey through the Emeraldwood Forest, when he had faced the fierce wind wolves on the path to Golden River Lotus City. It was there that he had obtained four elemental source stones—precious artifacts imbued with the essence of the elements.

With a sense of curiosity, he reached into his magic pouch and withdrew the stones, holding them in the palm of his hand as he considered their significance. These stones were said to be used to help grow a spirit warrior's elemental spirits. Surely he should be able to use them now?

As he gazed at the stones, contemplating their mysteries, a small thread of water and lightning energy emerged from his halberd, weaving its way around the stones in a delicate dance. Before Lassim could react, the energy surged forth, enveloping the stones in a brilliant glow.

To his astonishment, the stones began to dissolve rapidly, their essence merging with the energy of his weapon as if drawn to it by some unseen force. Lassim watched in awe as the elemental energies intertwined, their power mingling and merging in a dazzling display into the core of halberd.

Then, realization dawned on him with sudden clarity—his halberd had the ability to absorb elemental source stones, granting him access to their power in a way he had never imagined possible. It was a revelation that filled him with both excitement and trepidation, for he knew that such power was not typical or even heard of from the tales of the Iron Marquis' guard that he would talk to.

His uncle Gryphon's words echoed in his mind, reminding him of a day where he was tired of practicing the [Fire Halberd] technique's 9th swing when he asked him about spirits and becoming powerful. His arms were exhausted and he was trying to cheat some resting time in between repetitions.

Gryphon shared with him that there was an importance of proper cultivation technique and respect for when you are ready to grow the power of your weapon via elemental source stones. Each individual had their own unique method for absorbing the elemental energies which is usually taught once you arrive on your first day at the academy.

But here he was, with a weapon that seemed to defy convention, absorbing elemental energies with ease and without the need for traditional cultivation methods. It was a super cheat ability, one that could potentially tip the scales in his favor in the battles to come and speed up his cultivation.

'I'm thankful that I at least don't have to wait so long to absorb stones! I can already tell that having two spirits means double the energy needed.' remarked Lassim internally.

As the last remnants of the elemental source stones faded away, he knew that he had stumbled upon a power that couldn't easily be discussed with others. 

'I can probably tell dad and uncle, but for now it's best if I hold off until I'm stronger. Regardless, I'll be able to quickly jump ranks and possibly awaken my spirit through the Spirit Incubation phase early. I'll see if I can buy some lower-rank source stones when we arrive at the academy.'

With the revelation of his halberd's extraordinary ability still fresh in his mind, his curiosity was piqued. He reached into his bag once more, his fingers closing around the vial containing the Spirit Encouragement potion gifted to him by Uncle Gryphon.

Though he knew he would receive the other two potions along with his school uniform at the Myriad Spirit Academy, the temptation to take one now was too great to resist. After all, the night was still young, and he was eager to explore the effects of the potion firsthand.

Uncorking the vial, he took a cautious sip, the liquid tingling on his tongue as it flowed down his throat. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of energy coursing through his veins, invigorating his body and sharpening his senses.

A sense of clarity washed over him, his mind buzzing with newfound focus and determination. He could feel the elemental energies within him responding to the potion, their power heightened and amplified by its effects.

His mind able to slightly feel the surrounding elemental energies floating aimlessly in the air. Before, he couldn't feel them at all, so it was a wonderful feeling to reach out to them with his mind's senses, encouraging them to pass through his storm halberd. 

'Wow! I can absorb these energies at least 3x faster than before!' 

With a sense of purpose burning in his heart, Lassim settled into his meditation, focusing on the energies and trying to absorb them as much as he could. This went on for 4 hours before the effect wore off.

'If only it lasted longer. I can already feel that with the elemental energy stones and the meditation under the effects of the potion, I'm probably about halfway through the first level.' sighed Lassim.

He recalled that each stage of the spirit warrior's strength was determined by 9 levels within each stage. The stages being Spirit Incubation, Spirit Growth, Spirit Transformation, and Spirit Ascension. He was just barely at the halfway mark between SI1 and SI2.

However, this tiny increase of strength was entire worlds apart from his previous mortal status. His body filled with volatile and strong energy that was slowly transforming his body into a super powered state.

Eventually his body would complete an evolution with each stage increase, becoming closer to the realm of the gods. This allowed the humans to have the strength to fight against the Dragal.

Now that he had miraculously put his first sparks of energy into his heart world, his weapon could now magically transport between the heart world and outside world. He wouldn't need to carry the weapon unless necessary.

Although, he recalled Sir Ian remarking that some spirits become lazy if they're left too long inside the heart world. That's what happened to his fairy, or at least that is what he said. Uncle Gryphon said that the fairy had always been lazy and Sir Ian was too nice to do anything to change the fae's bad habit. 

With his halberd now safely inside his heart world, he laid in bed and drifted off to sleep. There was still a few hours before he needed to be up again before daybreak.