In the quiet of the newly established testing site, Lassim prepared himself for one of the most significant experiments of his time in the Drow realm.
The site, surrounded by towering cliffs that loomed like silent sentinels, was far enough from the village to ensure the safety of the community.
The temporary barrier, constructed under Master Tolen’s supervision, hummed gently—a subtle, reassuring sound against the backdrop of the constant, cold wind that swept through the deep cliffs.
Lassim sat at the center, his figure dwarfed by the vastness of the open space, yet his presence was anything but small.
"[Alright, Mari, Zaphy, let’s start small and build from there,]" Lassim said, focusing inward to the stirring energies of his inner heart world where his companions resided. The air around him began to chill further, a sign of the energy he was beginning to draw upon.
Mari’s voice, always serene, echoed in his mind. "[We’re here to help, my child. We’ll follow your lead.]"
Zaphy, ever the enthusiast, added her spark of energy to the conversation. "[Yeah, yeah brother! Let’s light up the sky! But like, in a controlled, responsible way! Totally!]"
Lassim chuckled softly, appreciating their balance of caution and excitement. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and began to channel his mana.
His cultivation was now currently at Spirit Growth Stage level 8 after all this time in the realm so far. His power was formidable, each pulse of energy more potent than ever before. Cleansing and absorbing and refining the powerful mana of this realm had done wonders to speed things along. It’d been almost nearly a year since he’d entered as a barely Spirit Growth level 2 spirit warrior.
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As he exhaled, the air above him stirred. Clouds, perpetual and slow moving for centuries under the realm’s prison, began to swirl. A faint glow of electric blue and deep violet sparked within the heart of the clouds, mirroring the lightning energy Lassim controlled.
The clouds above began to expand, slowly filling with lightning snakes, at first just above the cliffs, then stretching further into the horizon.
Lassim’s control over the lightning was meticulous, having been refined from constant careful cleansing of the corruption for nearly a year now. His focus unwavering as he manipulated the weather with precision, yet also recklessness, that he had never before attempted on such a grand scale.
"[See that?]" Lassim said, a hint of pride in his voice as he communicated through their bond. "[It’s working. The clouds are responding. I’m going to push a bit further.]"
Mari’s voice was a calming presence in his mind. "[Good, but keep monitoring the feedback from the corruption in the clouds. There’s so much of it and we have no idea what any signs of instability could mean if something happens.]"
Zaphy buzzed with excitement, "[This is awesome! I wanna go up there and zip, zap, zip through those juicy clouds!]"
Encouraged by their support, Lassim extended his reach further.
The clouds, now charged with his lightning, began to spread across more of the realm’s sky, moving outward from the cliffs. The lightning within them danced more vigorously, casting a brilliant light that flickered repeatedly.
Nearby, the observation team, led by Sanvra, watched in awe. Their devices, designed to measure the environmental changes that they had developed with Master Tolen to track the corruption more accurately, were ticking and beeping with readings that flickered off the charts.
The air, previously laden with an eternal chill, began to warm slightly, a direct result of the lightning’s purifying presence and the electricity’s’ charge vibrating the air.
Sanvra relayed the observations back to Lassim via a communication crystal, a piece of technology adapted from the Drow’s ancient relics and the messaging system behind the jade bracelet and discs Lassim told them about. "[Lassim, the initial results are positive. The mana density in the air is increasing, and the elemental purity levels are rising. It’s working, but be careful my star,]" she warned.
Lassim nodded to himself, feeling the surge of power as his cultivation technique circulated and he absorbed the mana from the air into the halberd resting across his lap.
The lightning above him roared in a symphony of power, its reach into the clouds now extending further than he had ever seen or personally pushed before. His current cultivation level let his spiritual sense extend his reach and mind’s eye nearly 5km away.
He decided to push just a little more, expanding his influence over the clouds, watching as the lightning began to cleanse not just the air but also influencing the snow below.
Wherever the lightning’s reflection touched, the snow seemed to melt faster, revealing the sturdy, life-sustaining earth beneath.
As the experiment continued, Lassim felt a surge of exhilaration. This was turning out better than expected and surprisingly successful. This new technique could accelerate the cleansing of the entire realm, bringing back the balance and vitality it had been denied for so long. There was a real chance to speed up the timeline to returning home and it excited him.
He wanted to keep pushing it and see how much he could cleanse at once.
With Mari and Zaphy at his side, and the community’s faith in him, Lassim was ready to take the next step in this grand experiment, ready to witness the dawn of a new era for the realm, guided by the storm he had born.
He took a moment to rotate his cultivation as fast as he could, pushing towards the limits and reaching towards becoming a Spirit Growth stage, level 9 spirit warrior.
Yet, suddenly, he forced open his eyes and spurt out a mouthful of blood.
It was then that he felt... a connection... and was gripped by a terror so profound it chilled him to the bone.
The clouds above, once allies in his grand scheme, roiled with an unexpected ferocity.
The sky darkened to an ominous pitch, the lightning intensifying, arcing with a frenzied energy that he had never meant to unleash.
A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the air, a sound so profound it seemed to come from the very depths of the realm itself.
It was a sound that spoke of ancient, bound powers, and as it grew louder, Lassim felt a presence—an overwhelming, all-consuming presence that latched onto his spirit sense directly.
The air around him crackled with a palpable tension, and Lassim, locked in the epicenter of this maelstrom of power, realized he had awakened something far beyond his control.