Chapter 32: The Very First Step
Dylan sat cross-legged, his eyes fixed on the gently crackling fire. In front of him, Maggie and Elisa had their eyes closed, their breathing calm and synchronized as they sank deep into meditation.
Night had already fallen, and Dylan was eager to find out what it felt like to reach the state of perception. Elisa had told him about it, but she hadn’t experienced it herself either. She knew enough to explain it, but knowing and feeling were two very different things.
More than anything, Dylan was looking forward to the moment when spiritual essence would help his body regenerate faster. The wound on his side was itching like crazy now that he was sitting still.
Now that he was sure the others had already started absorbing, he was ready to begin his own journey.
He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift like a tiny canoe in a vast void, shutting out all external disturbances. His spirit began to weave its way toward the stone in his hand.
Just like before, he broke through the cold, dark fog of negative energy and soul essence, searching for the faint threads of spiritual essence.
He pulled them in, drawing them toward himself and greedily absorbing them into his soul. It was a strange sensation—he could feel something coursing through his body, yet it was impossible to see.
He relied solely on his intuition.
Once the gem was completely absorbed, it cracked and crumbled into a sort of glassy dust in his palm. But it didn’t end there—purification was a necessary part of absorbing spiritual essence.
Instead of absorbing everything and purifying it all at once, Dylan preferred to purify each gem immediately after absorbing it. It would take longer, sure—but it was more efficient. The nature of these gems made purification slow anyway; those stubborn strands of essence clung tightly to the spiritual filaments like vines on a trellis.
It hadn’t taken him as long as he’d expected. Dylan had a hunch—his body was adapting to the absorption of spiritual essence. Unlike Maggie, whose wounds were healing faster, he felt that his body was becoming more receptive, as if it were thirsty and finally being quenched.