Born in Blood

Liam left early before Eve woke up, heading to the usual meeting place beside the ravine.

As usual, Lloyd was perched atop a boulder, his body covered with a warm yellow glow.

"You're a bit early." He opened his eyes and started with a greeting, losing the world essence around his body.

"Just a bit eager." Liam replied as he approached. "Can we begin now?"

Lloyd nodded, taking out what looked to be a small rock from his ring, the size of a golf ball. He instantly tossed it in Liam's hands.

"That glowing rock is what's called a Psionic Rune."

Lloyd explained as Liam inspected the rock from different angles. It released a faint hum, vibrating slightly. On a flat side, a small rune emitted blue light.

"The Psions were a race with extremely high levels of intelligence and mental capabilities. It is said that their mental energy was capable of turning into physical weapons themselves.

"Unfortunately, their race is now extinct, and they have become a stepping stone for humans to become stronger." Lloyd shrugged, before continuing.

"Awakening your sea of consciousness is simple, tap the rune on your forehead." Lloyd instructed, tapping his forehead twice. "Grit your teeth, though. Focus on where it hurts."

Liam quickly nodded, inwardly taking mental notes of the other races, before bringing the rune to his forehead.

Instantly, a sharp pain assaulted his mind.

It was as though someone had stabbed him in the temple, then twisted the blade repeatedly!

Wincing with a strained expression, his teary eyes were squinted shut. Still, he didn't release his trembling grip on the rune.

At the same time, images started to flicker inside his head.

The migraine continued for what felt like minutes, before suddenly disappearing.

Liam still had his eyes closed, but when he slowly opened them, he was astonished.

The feeling of air on his skin disappeared, the sounds of small waves crashing against each other entered his ears, while he found himself floating above the air.

His own figure was ethereal and naked, but there was no one else but him there, making him feel at ease.

'So this is the sea of consciousness...' Liam thought, slightly stunned as his eyes scoured the surroundings.

The space was enclosed in a dome-like shape. Below him was a grey black sea, the light waves of which rippled and crashed against the translucent walls of the dome.

There was nothing above him except the top of the translucent barrier, while his surroundings reaffirmed the spherical shape of the mental sphere.

With a thought, Liam could actually move his figure towards anywhere he wanted.

Bringing himself close to the walls, he peeked outside, finding it to be absolute darkness.

Moving along, he made his way to the black sea, dipping his toes in.

Unlike the consistency of water, it felt like a thick, gas-like substance. Getting curious, Liam submerged his figure underneath the water, finding himself able to breathe normally.

However, the depth was shallow.

Liam opened his eyes once more, finding himself in reality.

Noticing his student's amazed expression, Lloyd smiled.

"The sea of consciousness is all your intellectual properties combined. The sea itself, also known as mental energy, is your ability to think. With each thought, emotion and feeling, it ripples and forms waves.

"When using the Psionic Rune, it depletes your mental energy exponentially, but it'll consume less once you expand it.

"The more you expand your mental sphere, the more mental energy you attain, the faster and quicker you can think, even boosting your senses in the process.

"Although right now your mind is too weak to have any effect on reality, once you go up the ranks, that can change."

Excitement brimmed within Liam, and he couldn't hide the slight smile that formed on his face.

Lloyd's expression became stern before he continued.

"Do not overexert yourself using that rune. If you do, it'll have the opposite effect on your mental sphere, which could even crack when strained. What do you think happens when your sea of consciousness is shattered?"

Liam's demeanor changed once he realized the risk that came with expanding the mental sphere. He answered in a low tone:

"You lose the ability to think."

Lloyd nodded once, before jumping off his seat.

"Now, for absorbing 'Ora'. You already know how to since it comes with the Infernal tempering method. But it takes some time."

Lloyd spent the next hour instructing Liam on how to absorb 'Ora' within his body.

It took some time, but eventually, Liam got the hang of it. All it really required was some concentration while sitting in the lotus position.

Soon, a faint glow covered his pores.

With an instinctive feeling, he commanded his pores to suck in the yellow colored mist into his body, causing it to morph into his figure.

As 'Ora' entered his skin, he felt the essence flowing throughout his body, nourishing and strengthening it as well.

"Good! Now try and redirect that 'Ora' in your body to a single point, in your arm for example."

Liam tried as instructed.

His control over it became much easier and simpler for him once he understood how it felt to absorb the 'Ora' within the body; like muscle memory, it eventually became instinct.

Liam closed his eyes and focused, with a thought, the 'Ora' within his body moved according to his will. Slowly, he directed it to his hand and arm.

It felt powerful like never before.

Lloyd pointed towards a small boulder nearby, then said, "Punch that as hard as you can."

Liam's lips curved upwards to form a smile, and without delay, he fixed his form and shot his fist at it as hard as he could.

Boom!

The boulder shattered into hundreds of little pieces, causing Liam's eyes to widen in awe.