Page 77 of The Wind Dancer
My mind raced, and I was surprised to realize that my thoughts had all become much more well structured. The voice was clearly trying to help me. I had to make a choice quickly.
It would be easiest to be recognized as a dragonblood through the House of Fire Mist, but it was clear by the name that its descendants followed the path of the dragon of fire, which meant that if I chose Fire, they would easily figure out the truth. I didn’t have much information, but this was what I could quickly conclude. So I had made my choice, and for some reason I was sure that it was the right one.
“Water.”
“A wise choice, descendant. You will be recorded as an awakened dragonblood of Water in the Sanctuary’s records. Good luck, Fengbao. May Heaven protect you.”
As soon as the wind said that, everything changed. The friendly concern of the dragons was replaced by the cold detachment of the observer. The level voice of the Sanctuary announced:
“The genetic key activation is complete. Bearer: Feng Lao. Status: Dragonblood of Water. Access: user. Welcome to the Dragon Sanctuary, awakened Ascendant. You are to proceed to the Chamber of Ascension.”
The strange, cold words echoed in my skull. And a line of light ran along the smooth stone floor, pulsing unevenly like a dying heart. The strangeness of this thought struck me. How did I know that when a person died, their heart broke into such a fractured rhythm? Great Heaven, what was happening?
My gaze followed this line, which led to one of the walls.
I stood there clenching my teeth to stop myself from screaming. Everything I knew had crumbled. The filthy, dark world full of deception and pain had cracked, letting in something alien and frightening. Or this was perhaps the true reality. I desperately needed answers.
“Why?” I asked, more to myself than to the voice.
“A basic interface for parameter management will be integrated in the bearer’s Ascension chamber. This includes monitoring essence, physical condition, and would grant access to system functions. Without calibration, the patterns may get damaged.”
The wall in front of me shuddered and silently slid aside, revealing a narrow passage. It led to a cylindrical room, the air inside was buzzing with life. Symbols similar to the glyphs of the first empire floated in the air, flickering with blue and white light.
I stepped inside. And everything changed again.
I heard meaningless words in my head, yet I somehow understood them.
INTERFACE INTEGRATION
Veils appeared in front of my eyes, transparent like reflections on a water surface, but each one was full of information:
Essence: 100/100 —a pale scale pulsed in rhythm with my breath.
Condition: Stabilizing —dim signs burned at the edge of my sight, warning that my body hadn’t yet adjusted to the new core of power.
Gifts bestowed:
?Sight of the Surroundings
?Accelerated Restoration
?Basic Enhancement
Each point had a small translucent icon.
As soon as I began to regain my composure, the cold voice rang out:
“Basic briefing in progress... Essence is the fuel of your soul. It powers abilities. It recovers over time or by absorbing external sources. Level — basic. Practice hard, use artifacts. Bind spirits to your will. Tap the scale to continue.”I didn’t understand how I did it, but I mentally reached out to the symbol on the scale.
The information burst into my consciousness like a red-hot iron, burning away everything that was unnecessary:
“Essence is consumed when gifts are activated. Critical essence depletion may lead to system failure. Excess may attract unwanted attention. Beware of using contaminated essence.”
“Activate the Basic Enhancement.”
I mentally touched the icon, and my body felt reborn. Everything became easier. My muscles responded perfectly, each joint moved like a well-crafted mechanism. My mind fell silent, focused, resonating with something greater than myself.
Five units of essence disappeared from the scale.
