After taking a brief rest, still seated on the floor, Alex felt his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation, excitement, and awe coursing through his body. He looked at his tired hands, then into the empty space before him, as if seeing something that no one else could perceive. He knew the next moment would be decisive—the moment to manifest his first spiritual creature.
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his breath, then closed his eyes and sank his consciousness deep into his inner world. There, in that dark spiritual lake that had changed since he last saw it, he spotted the hexagonal crystal he had shaped before. It now glowed with a gentle, pulsing light, like a heart beating at the center of his existence. Alex approached it with clear awareness, accompanied by the feeling that everything he had done until now had been merely a prelude to this very moment.
He whispered to himself in an inner voice:
"Now… it's time to manifest the first spiritual creature."
A wave of energy surged through the crystal, as if responding to his call. Alex felt the crystal's consciousness interacting with his will, expanding the circle of light within it, forming a transparent void waiting to be filled. He smiled faintly, contemplating the creature he would create first.
He needed a versatile weapon, something capable of adapting to different situations. In this strange place, where the unknown surrounded him on all sides, he needed a being capable of fighting, defending, and scouting simultaneously. After a brief reflection, he recalled a creature that had fascinated him since childhood—the octopus.
As a child, he would visit the aquarium with his father, standing before the glass tanks, mesmerized by the strange marine creatures. They moved with uncanny grace, with eight arms that could wrap around anything, releasing ink to vanish, changing color at will, and even healing from injuries. He saw in the octopus intelligence, flexibility, and survival—all qualities he now needed more than ever.
Alex focused his awareness on the crystal, beginning to draw in his mind the image of this remarkable creature. At first, the image was hazy, a swirling mass of blue energy moving slowly. Then the features began to form: a rounded head, large, gleaming eyes like glass, and eight arms extending in all directions, moving with astonishing fluidity.
With every passing second, the octopus became clearer inside the crystal, composed of glowing mana threads resembling sparks of consciousness. The scene was breathtaking. The octopus seemed sculpted from celestial blue light, drifting through the inner space of his soul, coiling gently around itself—a gentle creature in appearance, yet imbued with latent power and potential.
Yet Alex, despite his awe, did not forget one essential detail: defense. He knew from his studies and observations that, despite its intelligence and skill, the octopus lacked protection. Its soft body was a fatal weakness.
He opened his eyes for a moment, contemplating, then remembered another creature from the depths of the seas, one he had seen in a beloved book—a fish with metallic scales, gleaming like iron, capable of fending off predator teeth and even the blades of hunters.
"This is what I need…" Alex whispered. "An armored octopus."
Returning his consciousness to the crystal, he pushed his will toward the creature within. He began weaving new threads of mana, denser and stronger, to wrap around the octopus's body. The process was mentally grueling; each thread of mana seemed to drain a fraction of his life force. Yet excitement outweighed exhaustion.
Small metallic scales began forming on the octopus's surface, each shining like polished steel. The scales interlocked tightly, covering the head and arms, yet remaining flexible. Gradually, the creature became a hybrid of organic being and naval war machine.
Alex continued for hours in silence, hearing only his shallow breaths and the echo of energy flowing between his body and soul. The sense of time vanished, as if the outer world had paused, awaiting the completion of his creation.
Finally, after long effort and heavy sweat, the light subsided. Before him, within his inner world, stood a spiritual masterpiece.
The octopus floated in the middle of the spiritual lake, its gleaming body reflecting blue and silver lights, its arms moving gracefully and deliberately, displaying both elegance and strength. The metallic scales emitted faint sounds as they touched one another, as if warning any who dared approach.
Alex smiled with admiration and awe, filled with a sense of pride difficult to describe. He had succeeded in manifesting his first spiritual creature—the armored octopus. He knew that what stood before him was not merely a creature but a direct extension of his will, a part of his soul transformed into a weapon ready for summoning.
He gazed at it for a long moment, then spoke softly within his inner world:
"You will be the first to stand with me against this world… my living shield."
The creature vanished in a swirl of light, returning to the crystal, where it rested at its center like a dormant shadow, awaiting the call.
When Alex opened his eyes in the physical world, he felt utterly exhausted yet simultaneously brimming with energy. His body was tired, but his soul was exhilarated with a sense of accomplishment. Slowly, he rose, still sensing the connection with the creature he had formed.
But before he could fully immerse himself in this new feeling, he heard a sound from outside—the approach of footsteps. At first faint, then gradually clearer, the wooden floor creaking lightly with each step in a steady rhythm impossible to ignore.
Alex froze. His heart thumped violently. He could not tell whether the steps belonged to a human or something else. He looked toward the locked door, wondering if the time had come to test his new weapon.
He whispered, barely audible:
"It seems… the first test begins now."
And amid the tension-filled silence, the crystal within his being pulsed with a faint, rising light, ready to summon the armored octopus—his first creation from the world of his soul, and the first weapon to bear his name in the battles to come.