"99... 100..." Ethan counted through chattering teeth, his consciousness a flickering ember in a blizzard of soul energy. "That's about 30,000 so far... I feel so cold..."
A faint *hisss* of escaping frigid air accompanied each of his labored breaths.
"How long has it been...?" he thought, his mental voice a weak thread. "Would this stupid eye just open already?"
His entire being was a channel for the purified soul energy flooding in from the circle. His body temperature plummeted as the energy was violently siphoned toward the 'thing' forming on his forehead. From his soul's perspective, it was no longer a mere outline; it had solidified into the shape of a single eye.
The only other change he could perceive was in his soul energy itself which thanks to the notes from Elizabeth, he now understood the concept of "soul energy units," a method of quantification pieced together by ascendants who specialized in the soul. Humanity had no innate system for it, but through research—particularly studies of the Specter race—they had begun to map the domain of the soul.
The very circle he sat in was a product of that stolen knowledge. It was first discovered by the Moraves family, who hoarded it as their ultimate secret. But those who awakened Soul Bodies could not hide their nature forever. When the secret eventually leaked, the other Temples descended upon the Moraves family. Under the guise of "protection" from a potential Specter race invasion, they demanded the circle's design, forcibly sharing what was once a family's greatest treasure for the "good" of the entire Human Domain. Now, the product of this knowledge channeled purified soul energy, as the eye in his soul drank greedily from the torrent of energy.
The cold he felt was like a living entity, gnawing at Ethan's soul. Through the agony, a change finally manifested in the eye.
A silvery hue began its slow crawl. It was more than a color, as he started feeling a connection, forming between the 'eye' and him. As more silver colour was added, the connection grew intensely, thrumming with a power so vast it terrified him.
He could even flicker the eye slowly as the faint connection grew, but each flicker was a battle that dragged his consciousness down.
The cold ramped up into a brutal wave the moment the connection to the eye started. His thoughts grew sluggish.
He had to focus, to fight. "Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep," he chanted, the words repeatedly. After what felt like days of this torment, the silvery hue was completed.
But he was too drained to feel happy at all. He didn't rush to fall asleep or even try to open the eye yet. He could barely keep his thoughts together.
His master's voice cut through at this moment for the first time since his awakening started. "You can rest now, you'll be fine now."
That permission was all he needed. Ethan immediately forgot about everything and fell into a deep sleep at a moment notice.
***
This sleep was not just any sleep.
He found himself in a dark space, a void where he couldn't see anything at all. There was no sound at all only infinite blackness.
Suddenly, a silver light shot into existence from the void. From that light, a massive eye began to be woven, its form constructed from that same silver light that was currently being drawn from the void itself.
From his position, he couldn't move an inch. He was a spectator.
The weaving completed quickly as the silver eye hung in the void silently. Then, it opened.
A terrifying suction force erupted from the open silver eye, sucking him in suddenly.
"No, no, no, what is this...?" Panic seized him. "I thought the awakening thing was done?" He struggled badly, his spirit trying to grab onto something, anything at all. But this was open space; all his efforts were for nothing.
Desperation took over. He tried everything: he poured out soul energy, his creation energy, his illusion energy. But nothing. Nothing could stop the pull.
Fury, hot and sharp, cut through the fear. "What the hell do you want?!" he screamed at the massive eye. "It's not enough to freeze me. Now you want to swallow me up. Did I even tell you I need a third eye?!!!!"
He was pissed. He had been frozen, forced to count numbers just to keep himself from falling asleep, and now this thing that he thought was his soul body was trying to consume him. But all his anger was for nothing. He was helpless. The suction intensified, and he was inevitably sucked in.
The moment he crossed the threshold of the massive eye, a boom went off in his head.
***
Ethan awoke. He was lying on the cold floor of the awakening chamber. He sat up, his body jerking violently. He was sweating heavily, his breathing was irregular.
"Calm down Ethan, You're okay now." Mystic Kaelen's voice was there, but it held a new, grave note. "I'm sorry I might have placed your life in danger without knowing."
Ethan, still clearing his head, didn't answer. He kept replaying the entire scene that just played out. It felt so vivid. The fear from that eye and the helplessness was still lingering, as cold sweat on his skin rolled down his head.
"Ethan..... Ethan.. are you okay?"
He straightened himself up, forcing control over his trembling limbs. "Yes master, I'm fine now. I think I just need to rest."
Mystic Kaelen nodded, his eyes holding a universe of questions but he was in no mood to rush his student. The mystery of the eight rank 2 soul crystals being consumed in a single awakening scared him. He had expected Ethan not to use up even the energy within the four high-rank crystals. Yet, his disciple had drained all eight, forcing Kaelen to replace them with lower-rank crystals at the end.
The ancient awakening circle was designed with four groves for a reason-and without all four grooves the circle would not activate. The soul energy Ethan ended up using from all 8 crystals, if quantified as units, would be in tens of thousands.
That kind of energy was enough to awaken ten individuals with soul bodies and still have some extra energy left in the crystals.
*What was being awakened in his body?* The question haunted Kaelen's mind, but he restrained himself. Now was not the time.
"Ethan, you'll be fine now," he said instead. "I already fed you a recovery potion, you should feel better after the effects of overdrawing large amounts of soul energy is gone."
The understatement was huge. Channeling that amount of soul energy in mere hours was beyond what any normal soul should have been able to handle. Usually, the effect a regular ascendant would suffer never reached this extent, but he decided not to scare Ethan.
"Hours?" Ethan's voice was hoarse. "It felt like a month or more."
Kaelen immediately nodded. "Yes. That was a result of the soul energy increasing your perception, making you feel like things took place at a slower rate than normal. The same way your will would enhance your body functions, your body under the influence of pure soul energy will receive enhancements in perception."
Ethan tried standing up, his movements stiff from the cold he was feeling. He saw Alan and Gwain having an intense conversation across the room, their forms were a blur. Despite the recovery potions, a deep cold and tiredness clung to him.
"You can get some rest. Come see me when you are ready." Kaelen's command was firm. "Tower spirit, send Ethan back to his floor now and return the tower operations to normal."
A voice echoed in the chamber. "Yes, Tower master."
Immediately, a white light enveloped Ethan, teleporting him to the 3rd floor, directly into his room. The familiar surroundings offered no comfort, not now. He walked stiffly towards his bed and fell into it, falling asleep right away.