The Oracle Paths

1185  The Day That Never Was

An hour later, after giving the solar corona a significant 'cleanup'—not just skimming the surface but delving deeper—a new shockwave of pure Lumyst surged through Jake's body and mind from the inside out. This wave was even more magical than the last; the crackling echoing from the depths of his being felt like a true awakening of the senses.

Breakthrough to the Saint level—success!

From now on, Jake was no longer a fraud; he could genuinely aim for the top based solely on his Lumyst cultivation. The only natives still above him, as far as he knew, were the Celestial and possibly some Titans and Abyssal Revenants like Anthace or Chillmire.

At the Saint—or Great General—level, both his Spirit and Life Lumyst cores were beginning to take on a semi-solid form. They were becoming more like actual organs.

Though their insides were still pure Lumyst, by some magical process he couldn't quite grasp, the walls had begun to exert an inward pressure, bending the laws of physics within and forming their own microcosm.

This new structure could hold way more Lumyst than before, with less effort. It was like having extra storage space.

This shift marked a stark contrast to an Aether Core. Those, as far as he knew, remained nothing more than Aetheric singularities of varying density, regardless of their grade. That's why it was so tough to extract the accumulated Aether during the formation of these pure energy cores. It was easier to destabilize or blow them up than to simply recover the compressed Aether by 'decultivating.'

These Lumyst Cores were different. The term Lumyst Heart now seemed fitting. Most of the cultivated Lumyst went into these mysterious walls, but the Lumyst inside remained easily accessible—kind of like blood.

The comparison was even more striking, as the pressure exerted by his new Lumyst Cores had started compressing the Lumyst flowing through them. Their purified, almost tangible nature reminded him of the Lumyst River running through Twyluxia.

'Truly magical...' Jake thought, his mind filled with sincere fascination.

Aether, being the primordial energy, could certainly achieve all this, but it demanded abilities and knowledge he didn't have yet. Klayr was clearly a genius to have created such an esoteric form of energy. Its almost physical nature made it less versatile but so much more lethal and beneficial for his body. The fact that Lumyst promoted the awakening or evolution of whatever it touched was just a bonus.

As his Lumyst Cores, meridians, and the rest of his body continued their deep transformation, Jake became aware again of the desolate area around him. The star embodying the Sun Spirit seemed much larger than when he first arrived, filling his entire field of vision.

'Eh... Looks like I got closer than I thought while cultivating,' Jake realized with slightly embarrassed surprise. Embarrassed because he could clearly sense the anger of the Sun Spirit before him.

[This wouldn't have happened if he'd just answered us instead of pelting us with solar flares,] Xi wisely pointed out. [That last one really stung...]

'Good point,' Jake promptly agreed, any lingering guilt evaporating.

He could have been satisfied with his progress, but since the reason for his nighttime visit had decided to keep expressing its displeasure so violently, he saw no point in feeling bad about it.

Jake's galactic eyes sparkled eagerly, and he shouted in his mind, Let's keep going!

If he could get one more breakthrough, he'd consider this expedition a resounding success even if he failed to recruit the two Spirits. Unfortunately, he'd barely started flying toward the star again when a high-pitched, hysterical scream stopped him dead in his tracks.

"STOP!!! THAT'S ENOUGH! QUIT STEALING ALL MY TREATS!"

Before he realized it, a 'small' flaming humanoid figure about a kilometer tall had appeared before him, emitting enough light and heat to vaporize a planet in no time. If Jake weren't so compatible with these two elements, no matter his stats, he'd have been toast.

Even though he'd braced himself, the burning sensation on his skin was almost unbearable. His Cosmic Eyes, however—though dazzled—remained intact. Perks of being comparable to an Aether Artifact in terms of resilience and energy adaptation.

"Dial down your flames; I can't see a thing," Jake complained impassively, shielding his face with one hand.

"Oh... Sorry."

Jake didn't even flinch at the unexpectedly frail and timid voice of the supposed stellar spirit, instead appreciating his cooperation. Once the light had dimmed enough for him to safely lower his arm, he could finally size up the famed Sun Spirit he'd come to meet.

His first reaction was a resounding, "What the fuck?"

When the Sun Spirit's avatar was a kilometer tall, Jake hadn't noticed anything special. But now that his counterpart had shrunk to human size, his attention was immediately drawn to his proportions: a big head, large innocent solar eyes, short legs and pudgy arms, and of course, a flamboyant spiky hairstyle reminiscent of a certain alien hero. In short: an adorable little boy whose body language screamed extreme shyness.

Jake could tell that the Sun Spirit's appearance had been established long ago, and according to Xi, there was almost always a logical explanation behind it. In other words, as old and powerful as this Spirit might be, his maturity left much to be desired.

This is unexpected, but I should've seen it coming. It's already miraculous to give life and consciousness to a star, but it's still a ball of plasma, he mused.

[Indeed. No matter how you slice it, it's tough for a life form like that to develop cognitive structures like a brain or nerves,] Xi sighed. [Considering he does nothing but shine and follow his orbit in silence, it makes sense. He probably hasn't interacted with many people either. Despite his long existence, his life experience is extremely monotonous.]

The Sun Spirit's refusal to communicate was finally explained. Since it wasn't hostility toward him, Jake now felt much more confident about what was to come.

"What's your name? I'm Jake," he introduced himself with as friendly a smile as possible to break the ice.

"..." The sun boy clearly hadn't let go of his mistrust, nor his resentment over having his Lumyst stolen. His puffed-up cheeks and pouting expression said it all.

"You do have a name, right?" Jake pressed as if nothing was wrong. "If not, I can give you one."

As soon as he heard someone wanted to give him a name, the Sun Spirit let out a heartfelt cry of refusal.

"I already have one! It's Ray, and big sister Moon gave it to me!"

Simple and effective. I like it, Jake acknowledged inwardly. As for Moon, that must be the name of the Moon Spirit. How original...

"Okay, Ray, I take it you got my messages and you know why I'm here."

"... I do... But I don't want to get involved," the kid said, turning his head and crossing his arms.

"And why's that? It's in your own interest." Jake suddenly had a look of realization and exclaimed, covering his mouth in mock shock, "Don't tell me you're scared?"

"Of course not!!" The Sun Spirit defended himself in panic before lowering his eyes. "It's just that if I leave, there'll be no one to watch over the big bad Blady down there. Moon and Grandpa Twyluxia told me to bombard him with solar winds every time my orbit passes over his. If I go, there'll be no one to take care of it."

Jake would be lying if he said he wasn't caught off guard by that response. Not only was the Sun Spirit not completely out of touch, but he hadn't been twiddling his thumbs either. He was supposed to be playing a crucial role in delaying the expansion of the Blade Spirit. Until he thought of something.

"Tell me... When was the last time you hit him with a solar flare like the ones you used against me?" he asked with a sinking feeling.

Puffing out his chest and lifting his chin with a superior air, Ray exclaimed proudly, "Not long ago! Moon told me to attack him every day..."

Jake's bad feeling only grew upon hearing that.

"And what do you consider a day?"

"Simple! Grandpa Twyluxia told me a day has 86,400 seconds..."

Jake was now even more certain his worry was justified.

"Tell me... Don't say you're the one counting the seconds?" His face was already on the verge of tears.

"Well yeah, idiot! How else would I count them?" Ray retorted as if it were obvious and he was dealing with a moron.

"Since we've been talking... How many seconds have you counted?"

The Sun Spirit finally showed the confused look Jake dreaded. The truth was no longer in doubt. His next answer confirmed all his fears.

"Uh, zero... I was sleeping before you came to bother me, and afterward, I was too busy watching you."

After a brief but grueling interrogation—considering Ray's simple-mindedness—Jake finally managed to estimate the length of his last nap based on the number of orbits the little Sun Spirit remembered and the amount of Sun Lumyst cultivated in his corona.

The reality was distressing: the last time Ray had attacked 'Blady' was 1,600 years ago. As for the time before that, he didn't remember...

To conclude dramatically... The Sun Spirit had been utterly useless.