(Back when Alexis entered the weird place accidentally)

  …

  The sensation of weightlessness enveloped me as I drifted in the vast, ethereal expanse of my mind sphere. Darkness stretched infinitely in all directions, but it wasn't the oppressive kind—more like a comforting void that welcomed introspection.

  Two glowing crystals floated before me, each pulsing with energy that felt intimately familiar, like echoes of my own essence made manifest.

  I drifted closer, eyes narrowing as I studied them. The first crystal pulsed with a deep, blood-red hue, throbbing faintly like a beating heart. Its presence stirred something primal within me—an intrinsic connection to life itself. The second crystal shimmered with a murky green light, its edges warping and twisting as if it couldn't quite decide on a shape. This one felt wilder, more untamed, like the raw physicality of muscle and bone.

  “So, Blood and Mutation,” I muttered, my voice echoing softly in the void. “Interesting.”

  The blood-red crystal resonated with the essence I'd absorbed—the blood essence. I could almost taste iron on my tongue, feel the rhythmic pulse aligning with my own heartbeat. The green crystal, on the other hand, was a mystery. It exuded a sense of constant change, of adaptation and evolution—a mutation essence, perhaps.

  “That explains the weird ability to shift, no mutate, to adapt” I mused, absently scratching the back of my neck.

  This mind sphere was a place of reflection and discovery—a core part of any ascendant, as his Aunt Nora and his mother had once told him. Unlocking it was a rare and monumental step toward true strength, a process that usually took years of training and preparation.

  Yet here I was, accessing it without a damn clue how I'd gotten here, I was just... here.

  “Either I’m the most talented bastard alive,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, “or this thing’s been unlocked for a while, and I’m just too fucking broken to remember it.”

  The thought was sobering. My fragmented memories had plagued me ever since I arrived in this accursed world, pieces of past floating just out of reach.

  “Focus, Lexi” I said, shaking off the frustration. “No point thinking about shit I can’t fix right now,”

  I turned my attention back to the crystals. The blood essence crystal had a faint light flickering on its surface. Squinting, I noticed a small, glowing rune embedded just beneath the surface. Its light was steady but faint, like a distant star.

  “What’s that?” I murmured, reaching out tentatively. My fingertips grazed the rune.

  Around the crystal, there were three more darkened slots, their outlines barely visible, along with a larger, central slot at the very heart of the crystal.

  The moment my focus landed on the glowing rune, something clicked. I didn’t understand it fully, but I knew. It wasn’t logical or something I could explain—it was instinctual, as natural as breathing.

  “These slots... they’re for skills”

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  “So... these runes are skills linked to the essence”

  “And I need to fill all four slots, plus whatever goes in the center, to fully develop the essence.”

  Reaching out tentatively I touched it, The second I made contact a tidal wave of information slammed into me. Images, sensations, and emotions flooded my mind, a chaotic mess that sent me reeling.

  “Ah, fuck!” I hissed, clutching my head as the influx subsided.

  Groaning, I rubbed my temples, the throbbing pain gradually fading.

  “Okay…okay that’s a lot of information”

  This wasn’t just a discovery—it was a roadmap. Each essence had a path to completion, and every skill I would unlocked would bring me closer to understanding and mastering its power.

  “So that’s the way forward,” I said aloud, my voice echoing faintly in the mind sphere.

  fuuu…

  I focused on the knowledge left behind by the glowing rune, sorting through it carefully.

  “Blood projectile,” nodding as the details began to coalesce. “A skill that lets me weaponize blood, huh? Sounds useful. Guess I’ll need to test it out later.”

  A grin tugged at my lips. The shaman I’d fought had used something similar, though his version had been crude. This felt purer, more refined.

  haaa…

  Turning to the Mutation crystal, Its four slots were empty, their outlines faint and unformed.

  “No skills yet,”

  Just as I was about to turn away, a faint tug pulled at my senses.

  “What the...?”

  As I studied it closely, a faint flicker caught my eye. One of the slots wasn't entirely empty. A half-formed rune pulsed weakly, its lines incomplete and wavering.

  "Looks like I've started something without realizing," I said. “That’s the ability I’ve been using to shift my body parts. It’s not a full skill yet, but it’s forming.”

  I thought back to the times I'd instinctively altered my limbs—stretching, hardening, adapting on the fly. It had saved my ass more than once.

  “So this is how it works, Skills aren’t just handed to you. They develop over time, through experience and effort.”

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Guess that means I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”

  Floating back slightly, as I took a deep breath, letting the glowing crystals fill my vision.

  “This is just the beginning,” I said quietly feeling the determination hardening. “Let’s see what the fuck I can do with this.”

  A soft sound broke the silence—a familiar meow echoing through the void. I turned to see Luna materialize beside me, her translucent form glowing faintly.

  “Seriously?” I chuckled. “You even show up here?”

  Luna blinked up at me, Amber eyes wide and curious, before letting out another soft meow. Somehow, the little furball always knew how to lighten the mood.

  "Fine, you can stay," I sighed, reaching down to scratch behind its ears. "Not like I can stop you anyway."

  Luna purred, rubbing against my leg before trotting off to bat at something invisible.

  A thought chilled me. “But if I keep absorbing essences, won’t I risk overloading—or worse, losing myself?”

  The possibility sent a chill down my spine. Power was tempting, but it came with risks. I'd seen what unbridled ambition did to people—how it twisted them into monsters.

  "Need to be careful," I reminded myself. "No point in gaining strength if I end up losing who I am."

  Meow!!

  Luna meowed again, this time batting at the Mutation crystal. She passed through harmlessly, her playful curiosity undeterred.

  “Guess you’re not worried,” I muttered with a faint smile. “Maybe I shouldn’t be either.”

  Still, uncertainty lingered. There was so much I didn’t understand, and ignorance in this world was a death sentence.

  “One step at a time,” I decided. “Master what I have before reaching for more.”

  Closing my eyes, I focused on the sensations of my physical body—the rough texture of my clothes, the warmth of the campfire, the rhythmic rise and fall of my breathing.

  The void faded, darkness giving way to muted colors and familiar sounds. The crackle of flames, the rustling of leaves, the soft purring by my ear.

  I opened my eyes to find myself back at the campsite. Luna was curled on my shoulder, her tail flicking lazily.

  “Enjoy your little adventure?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

  She yawned widely, sharp teeth on display, then nestled back down.

  “Hahaaa” I chuckled. “You’re as unbothered as ever.”

  Stretching, I felt a renewed energy coursing through me.

  “Guess this is my life now,” I muttered, staring up at the sky. “Crazy magic powers, creepy-ass crystals in my head, and a fluffy little orange demon for a sidekick.”

  “Let’s see what this ‘Blood Projectile’ can do,” I said, moving a safe distance from the campfire.

  “Yeah, Could be worse.”

  HOUSE OF END DISCORD

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