Chapter 48 - The Cube

Jiran snatched three more of the delicious piletear fruits and retrieved the cube from his tent before finding a comfortable spot in the shadow of a large cactus. He started by cycling through memories of each part of his life that was important to him to gently reveal and then organize his emotions. With his preparations for several hours of intense mana manipulation complete, he nodded.

He warmed up by creating Shapings one at a time for each element. He swapped between them rapidly to re-familiarize himself with the suboptimal mental images for each. He was in no hurry to blow himself up again or toss the cube a hundred meters by accident. With his brain warmed up and a plethora of emotions at his call, he felt ready to begin.

Fire and ice sprang into existence, one on each hand. He circled them around the cube which immediately absorbed the elements and began to float. Jiran adjusted the strength of both as he watched the cube’s mechanisms retracting from their stable positions to unveil the layers beneath.

With an ease that momentarily surprised him, Jiran added the third element—water. It poured from his fingertips to surround the cube in a bubble which acted as an insulator from his fire and ice. He spent several minutes adjusting the potency of each element while thinning the water so all three could affect the cube simultaneously. The mana flowing from him had to be constantly on the move as he adjusted where it leaked from his skin, leaving his brain dizzy.

What felt like an hour later, Jiran had an extremely thin bubble of water that swapped between boiled and frozen as flame and frost circled around it. The cube’s layers writhed under the steady effects of all three as its numerous parts moved in complicated patterns.

Several times, he had to change the strength and speed of a specific element to untangle wires that folded around each other and became stuck. The addition of the tangled pieces added a layer of sophistication to the cube that severely tested his fine control of each shaping and the mana used to power them.

Ready for the last one, here we go!

Jiran took a deep breath, activated Shaping inside his lungs, and released it slowly while his brain overclocked from the excessive use of Active Dual Mind. He felt his face flush as the heat inside his head ramped up to an uncomfortable level.

The wind Shaping had an immediate, adverse effect on the other three elements. The water surrounding the cube rippled with tiny waves that propagated the icy portions of its surface. That ice spread through the liquid, cooling the boiling sections on the other side of the cube. The flames were likewise boosted with the additional oxygen in the air, instantly overpowering the ice and causing the once pristine combination of elements to immediately destabilize.

However, all those reactions paled in comparison to a new phenomenon happening all around him. Sensations bombarded him but not the usual kind from nerves, eyes, or ears. These hazy impressions were more similar to how it felt when he pulled mana onto his skin to taste the air and absorb wild density.

Instead of just being on his skin, he received the feelings from every centimeter of a bubble of space all around him in a one-meter radius. For the split second that all four elements were active, he could feel all of the space inside that cocoon as if it were full of his mana.

The flow of moving gases, each and every particle of dust, dirt, and moisture. He could even feel several bugs that swam through the air around him and the way their wings created minuscule ripples of wind. He received the same level of detailed information from inside his body. He could see his mana flowing, all at once, everywhere, not just the tiny bit he was actively controlling.

The sensations only lasted a moment before they flickered and vanished. Jiran gasped, his mouth hanging wide open. His brain ached, completely overwhelmed by the massive amount of new information that he absorbed in that quick second.

What the hell was that!? Did I feel the density around me as if it were my mana?

Jiran massaged his temples and gave himself a minute to relax. Thinking hurt! When his forehead no longer burned like a skillet, he tried again to understand what had happened.

No, that’s not right. That wasn’t density. That was definitely mana but it felt all uncontrollable and… wrong somehow. Like mana operating on a different wavelength, sort of how ambient density is different from densoon wave density.

The way it felt sounds really similar to what I read about the manabody. Was that my manabody? That can’t be right, access to the manabody is the fifth tier skill. Unless that was a teaser that another acclamation is getting ready to unlock!

Shivers ran up Jiran’s body despite the warm desert air. He quickly closed his eyes to check his status but there were no changes. He wasn’t discouraged, knowing that it would be unlikely for him to unlock another one yet since he had not been rendered unconscious.

This cube is insane. Active Dual Mind and maybe the Manabody? I knew bagging me a wizard was a good call! Thank you, Lenton!

Jiran eagerly extended his emotions to connect with his mana for another attempt only to find his mana completely bottomed out.

No way! I had over forty percent left before I started that wind shaping. Did that tiny little connection drain the rest of my mana? Maybe that’s why it was so quick.

Jiran hopped to his feet and ran to grab more food. He shoveled everything into his mouth that would fit. Like a ravenous beast, he devoured until his stomach was bloated. With plenty of density inside to convert into mana, he resumed his practice. Over the next three hours, he managed to activate the fourth shaping two more times and was again bombarded by sensations of the manabody. Both times his mana was drained completely within seconds before the effect flickered off.

An annoyed huff behind him snapped him out of his focus. He turned to see Samris squinting at him with pursed lips.

“It is truly ridiculous to watch you do that for hours on end without rest,” He crossed his arms over his chest after whispering his annoyance.

“What do you mean? Why is it ridiculous? I’m just practicing shapings on the cube.”

Samris sat next to him with his hands on his knees. He leaned uncomfortably close to Jiran as he peered into his eyes. “You’re serious. You honestly have no idea,” Samris sighed again with a little shake of his head before continuing. “The speed at which your body converts density to mana is simply outrageous. Typically, children at tier two practice their shapings for no more than ten minutes a day. They must then wait for their ingested density to convert so they can try again the next day.”

He stopped there, seemingly done before his gaze hardened and he pressed on.

“If I were to use all of my mana, it would take me at least a week, while eating tier six foods at every meal, to recover. Even if I was gifted food above my tier, which would never happen as tier seven food is highly prized by the nobility, it would still take me days to recover fully. Yet here you are, eating tier two and three food then recovering your mana instantly. In three days you practice as much as a normal child would over the course of an entire season!”

“Sorry?”

“Don’t apologize for paving the way forward, Jiran. I only ask that you bear in mind what your methods mean to the empire at large. When your knowledge is released, it will have far-reaching implications for all of Madra's children. I must also warn you to be wary of those you choose to teach, for if the wrong people learn your method… well, there would be none left to teach,” Having completed his hushed speech, Samris walked in solitude into the hot desert.

None left to teach? What did he mean by that? Could you explain a little more that sounded super important! Was he talking about someone like Markhiss? If that crazy bastard learned how to instantly convert density, or unlocked a powerful subskill that let him fight above his tier, how dangerous would he become?

Jiran shivered before clenching his fists. Paranoia swelled within him and he swore to not forget Markhiss’s words.

Why is this my problem though? Why does everyone use the automated versions of skills and techniques without ever pushing the boundaries? Why has nobody else figured this out yet? I get that it would be highly improbable for someone to convince themselves that density is unnatural, but for it to never happen? There has to be a piece of the puzzle I still don’t know. Always another question.

Jiran sighed and then once more sharpened his focus onto the cube. For several hours, he pushed to achieve a stable balance with the fourth shaping. Eventually, the connection with his manabody stabilized and no longer instantly drained his mana.

His current issue was that the sensations of the manabody were so distracting he couldn’t focus on holding all four shapings whenever it turned on. Jiran used the same method as when he absorbed densoon waves. By concentrating intently on his shapings to the point his brain was fully occupied, his other senses, including those of the manabody, vanished into background noise. Like a hunting bird the moment before its talons sink into its prey, Jiran gave his all to the shapings at the expense of the world around him.

The wind from his mouth caused rippling waves upon the thin bubble of freezing and boiling water. Flames licked at the water from one side while frost chilled the other. The four elements fought for dominance in a delicate dance that would instantly cascade out of control with the slightest slip in concentration.

He failed to notice when Second Father descended and darkness enveloped the desert. The temperature changed to a blistering cold and he adjusted his shapings without even realizing why it was necessary. All that existed to him was the four images and the cube.

Before he realized what was happening, the cube fully opened before him, revealing a shining disk within. Suddenly, a tidal wave of energy blasted through his body. Thoughts, emotions, and mana that were his but not his assaulted his being. Unable to resist the onslaught, Jiran was swept away into a memory both alien and familiar.

He saw a woman giving birth and instantly knew it was himself being born before his eyes. He watched as his mother pushed him into the world. He could taste the pride from his father, joy from his uncle, and unquestioning love from his grandmother.

Jiran had no memories of his grandmother—the woman had died a season after he was born. He committed her face to memory as she looked down at him, cooing softly. The vision moved on.

The journey through his past shifted to Jiran’s first densoon season. His tiny body pressed to the floor, fever raging through him as the wild energies forced him to adapt to the harsh realities of Madra. Thoughts that were both his and not his cheered him on as he gradually acclimated.

Season after season Jiran watched himself grow through the memories he now realized were the very essence of his manabody. His manabody had always been with him, around him, and inside him. It whispered guidance when he needed direction, praised him when he succeeded, and encouraged him when he faltered. Even though the voice was never heard, it was always there.

Soon came Jiran’s first tiering, a day he would always remember as terrifying and painful. To his other half, that day held very different feelings.

His manabody radiated joy at him taking the first step toward ascension—toward completion. Then came a wave of frustration and terror as -ERROR- blocked his natural progression. An overwhelming need roused to heal the gaping rupture in the -ERROR-. Then there was only curiosity about the universe beyond the gate.

And finally, silence.

The journey ended as suddenly as it began. With a massive inhalation, Jiran was flung back into his own consciousness. His eyes snapped wide as his brain was assaulted by a stream of sensations containing far more information than he could process. He struggled to breathe as his new reality refused to come fully into focus. He fell to his side, huddling in a ball as the bombardment came from everywhere, causing waves of vertigo that nearly knocked him unconscious.

He understood this was his manabody but it was nothing like before. He now realized his previous experience had been no more than mild impressions, a whisper within his consciousness. This was an invasion.

He clung onto his awareness with tooth and nail, refusing to pass out and miss whatever changes were happening like so many times before. He could feel and see inside of everything. Every grain of sand was a world of knowledge refusing to remain untapped. He watched the hearts beating inside the tiny bugs and critters that called the desert home. They wriggled inside his manabody—inside of him—as they burrowed through the ground.

The air was equally alive and impossible to ignore. His brain spasmed as it desperately tried to cope with thousands of new pinpricks of sensory receptors. Jiran had no concept of time as his manabody slowly stabilized. His first coherent thoughts were of needing more mana and the moment he converted some density, the overwhelming sensations eased considerably.

Over time, a second consciousness, exactly like what he experienced in his visions of the past, formed and took on the brunt of the sensation overload. The more mana he fed it, the lighter the strain on his brain became.

Jiran felt like he had grown a second brain. Every feeling, memory, and sensation doubled and overlapped with his original consciousness. Eventually, the two brains found an equilibrium and his world stopped heaving like an ocean storm.

He sat up from his fetal position with a groan, his head clutched between his hands. With his eyes tightly closed, he could easily see and feel the area around him. In an oval-shaped dome that enveloped him, Jiran could perceive everything. Even the insides of his own body—the muscles, bones, tendons, and organs were all laid bare before him.

Eventually, he was able to crack open his eyes and stumble to his tent where he curled up in his bedroll and finally allowed unconsciousness to claim him.