Chapter 114: Lazy Day (2/2)
'By the way, Higure, when I was carving my magic circuits, you said something was happening in my mindscape. What was it?' He asked after the topic came back to him.
”{Aaah, that. Well, why don't you see it for yourself? After doing it once, it should be easy for you now to visit us down here.}”
'Give me a second,' he replied and crossed his legs before closing his eyes. He activated Soul Breath and let himself fall into the endless pit of his soul power. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at the smiling face of Higure.
The roses at his feet were still red, contrasted by the purple ones, while black petals fell from the sky. However, there was something different this time. The color of the air, if he could call it like that, was odd. It was both warm and cold.
He looked up, expecting to see the twelve moons hanging amidst the starry sky but what he saw made his eyes pop. Two celestial bodies were burning above him and lighting his soul realm.
One was colder than ice, unforgiving, and carrying with it the peace of frosting dusks.
The other was hotter than fire, uninhibited, and bringing with it the rage of blazing dawns.
”Impressive, isn't it?” Higure said. ”This is how this place appears during the day. When night falls outside, the moons take over.”
”I see…” Rakna whispered and took his eyes off the sight before suddenly being tacked by a flying figure. The impact was soft and didn't hurt him but he was startled as Rexam started licking his face. ”Hey, hey, calm down. I'm being cuddled a lot today…”
”Hah, this cub was probably eager to do that from the second he saw you enter this place for the first time,” Higure said. ”He restrained himself at the time for appearance's sake.”
Rakna huffed at that and gently stroked the Luquila's head. ”So? What was that change?”
Higure waved her paw as she said, ”Look around you.”
He complied and other than the sleeping form of Fenriu, he spotted something that puzzled him at first glance. Within the flowers of this field, there was a singular river transporting clear water that sparkled with a blue light.
This river had no beginning or end. It also had no explicit path and even made loops to his right and left before disappearing in the horizon of the small planet he was on. At least, he thought it was a planet or just a floating sphere of soil and flowers. Maybe exploring this place would be an interesting endeavor.
That aside, what confused him was that while he knew the river wasn't there the last time he came, its presence felt natural. Once again, it was as if everything in this place had a place in his heart.
He slowly parted from Rexam's hug and walked to the river. He crouched at the edge and dipped his fingers in the water, watching the stream part as it collided with them.
”It's full of mana… and cold,” he commented before pulling his hand back.
”Cold it is. I tried to touch it earlier and I felt like I was going to turn into an icicle. Though for you, it's not nearly as bad since you have the protection of your element,” Higure remarked.
Rakna hummed as he traced the river's waves. ”So? What is this? Some sort of representation of my magic circuits?”
”I think so,” the lioness nodded as she stood beside him, watching the mesmerizing glitters that shone below the surface of the water. ”Ever since it appeared, I feel more powerful too. Or, I guess it would be more accurate to say that my existence here has been consolidated. It's the same for the cubs.”
”What does that entail exactly?”
”Well, I wasn't sure before this but,” she paused with a meditative look. ”Manifesting us outside of here might be possible now. Your circuits have affected your soul, and in turn, us as well. Do you remember the thing about unlocking your Soul Marble?”
”Manifesting my soul in the outside world?”
”Indeed. I think this has made you closer to unlock it. This also means that it's likely that you can manifest us, parts of your soul, in the outside world. And I'm inclined to believe that you will not need to have full access to your Soul Marble to get us out.”
”Interesting…” Rakna muttered. ”How do you think it will proceed if I succeed?”
”As in… how will we manifest?” She asked in return and he nodded. ”I honestly have no clue. With a bit of luck, we could be something similar to Phantoms, ghosts with physical influence. But it's also possible that we'll be nothing more than incorporeal beings with no power. No better than an illusion.”
”Hm, I'll give it some thought,” he stated. ”For now, I'll take the rest of the day. I'll continue reading a bit while practicing the skills that don't need too much thought. Tomorrow, I'll give it a shot and since Eyes of the Soul has reached Exceled, using a skill point on it might also help.”
”Understood. But… what kind of book will you read?”
Rakna shrugged and mentally nudged the connection he had with his soul. ”Let's see,” he said and the landscape of his soul realm broke apart like glass and he found himself back inside the Pavilion with the sound of the TV blaring.
'What about this one?' Rakna asked as a new book appeared in his hand. This one was thicker than the previous one. 'From what I can see in the synopsis, there's a chance it has the… 'thrill' you're looking for.'
”{What are we waiting for then?}” Higure replied excitedly. Reading was a novelty for her. She was far from illiterate but she had never bothered to try literature in her entire life. She had to admit it was stimulating to see fantastic tales that she would never have the opportunity to observe in real life.
”All right. This one seems more accentuated toward fantasy,” Rakna said and opened the first page.