One-Eyed Monster

”Spirit?”

Upon hearing these words, Igor and Kuren exclaimed in unison.

”Is it strange? Your so-called Spirit Power is closely related to us,” answered the voice known as Spirit, its tone calm.

”All your magic is derived by sensing and releasing Spirit Power. Haven’t you ever noticed this connection?”

”Furthermore, over the years, the number of Awakenings has been decreasing. This is a sign that your system is becoming more complete. Your magic has become independent, and this reflects a problem, though this deduction is still in its nascent stages.”

Igor and Kuren did not quite understand what Spirit was saying. These words seemed to contain many stories—stories that were bizarre yet realistic—but neither of them had any idea what these stories were actually about.

Igor and Kuren could only exchange bewildered glances. They could not see or touch Spirit; they could only hear its voice.

”I know you must be endlessly confused. At this moment, I myself am perplexed. There are far too many unknowns about the Awakened, about you, about this world.”

A tremor was audible in Spirit’s voice. It seemed as if what it was about to say carried a certain fear—a fear that, though intangible, was somewhat unsettling.

”From your voice, I can sense unease, even a hint of worry. This must be a complex story. Even though I don’t know where to begin with my questions, I still feel I should ask you something,” Igor said timidly, now captivated by the story behind it all.

”A long story can’t be told all at once, nor can every detail be covered. I think we need to be clear about our priorities,” Kuren quickly added.

”You are correct. The story is indeed lengthy, and I don’t intend to tell it completely. The final part of the story requires you to explore it yourselves. Time is limited, and the Spirit Power you have sensed cannot sustain you for long.”

”So, to cut a long story short?” Kuren asked.

”Indeed, we must cut it short,” Spirit responded succinctly, without any hesitation or hint of joking.

It wanted to tell its corresponding Awakened some of the things it knew as quickly as possible, in its own way; after all, it would be accompanying these Awakened for a very long time. The turmoil and unrest happening in their world would be conveyed to the Awakened through its methods.

”I have always felt that change is imminent. Equivalent Exchange is under assault. Your world is maturing, and our world is also undergoing transformation,” Spirit slowly began its narration. For it, this wait had been too long. Their world needed a good sorting out; those forgotten things, those happening now, all of it needed to be put in order.

And they, the spirits, still had to count on these Awakened to provide them with necessary help.

Although they belonged to two different worlds, they were, after all, part of the same world. The two parallel lines within this common world were now, due to magic as a medium, slowly beginning to tilt and intersect…

However, it knew that the true meaning wasn’t in the magic, but in the comprehension.

Without the power of belief, there is no comprehension. This was what the first Awakened told them many years ago. Now, it had to pass this precious treasure on to the new Awakened.

The road ahead will be quite arduous. Whether it’s a curse or a blessing, good luck or bad—Hao Yun or misfortune—all of it will be left to these two Awakened. Perhaps the fate of these two Awakened will be fraught with anxiety; perhaps their path will be very short. Perhaps their brief lives won’t allow it to figure out what’s happening in its own world. Perhaps it will soon fall into slumber again... Whatever the hypothesis, one point was unchangeable: these two Awakened were the only ones it could rely on for the time being. Even if one of them seemed incredibly naive, at least these two were not wicked at heart. Then again, things like evil and good didn’t belong to its world in the first place.

”My state in your world is unknown, but even so, you can still create my likeness on a certain basis. However, you need a higher level of realization for that.” Spirit’s mind had gone through considerable turmoil, but in the end, it very proactively revealed this not-so-secret secret to the two Awakened.

”I should have thought of it, I should have thought of it!” Kuren suddenly became like a madman, starting to act hysterically. This made Igor, who was beside him, very flustered. Could Senior Kuren’s mind have become disordered again? If that’s really the case, then it’s terrible. With my current state, it’s impossible to untie those knotted ropes again.

The apprehensive Igor knew his Spirit Power wasn’t enough to last much longer. If he had to untie those ropes again, the Spirit Power he had comprehended would be exhausted.

Replenishing Spirit Power after it’s exhausted won’t be easy. Although in my understanding, Spirit Power is the hidden energy within all living entities, there’s clearly a new theory now. I’m not sure about it, so at this moment, I’m very apprehensive, afraid the worst will happen.

But Kuren was still hysterical there, clutching his head with both hands, looking extremely pained.

Seeing Kuren in this crazed state, Igor couldn’t think of a solution and felt very anxious. He hadn’t had this emotion for many years, and its sudden appearance caught him off guard.

Igor’s mind was in turmoil. What on earth should I do? Let Senior Kuren descend into madness? This is truly terrifying. I don’t want to see such a thing happen, but I don’t have the ability to solve the current situation. I wish I could suddenly possess a surge of Spirit Power, then split myself and complete all the things that need doing. But these are all fantasies, impossible to achieve...

”Hey, Igor,” Spirit began to speak again from mid-air. ”He’s not in a tangle; you don’t need to worry.”

That’s right. In this Inner World, Spirit could see their inner worlds. It could see what both of them were thinking.

”Er...” Igor scratched his head. He clearly wanted more information.

”He’s just trapped in an emotion. Time will bring him comfort; don’t worry,” Spirit consoled Igor.

”But...”

”I know you have doubts in your heart, but you should be able to feel your Spirit Sensing range shrinking. Your reserves are about to be depleted. If you still want to retreat unscathed, then listen to me.”

”Er... alright,” Igor said very reluctantly, but he had to agree, because his Spirit Power was indeed not much.

”I won’t tell so many long stories, so during this process, you just need to listen. Those parts you don’t understand, keep them to yourself for now. Although this is a bit inappropriate, it’s purely out of necessity.”

Spirit began to tell Igor about some things happening in its world, its tone gentle and slow.

Igor sat down on the spot, cross-legged, listening to Spirit’s unhurried narration.