Chapter 68: The Life Flame

Elias closed his eyes and focused on the mind’s eye, and as his concentration deepened, the darkness created by his eyelids suddenly disappeared as though it had never existed.

Something else appeared before him.

At first, Elias couldn’t understand what he was looking at because the strange scene seemed both familiar and completely alien.

He could see parts of his own body, yet they were not being viewed from the outside; instead, it was as though his entire being had been placed before his consciousness and transformed into something tangible that he could examine.

His physical body, his mind, and even things that should have been impossible to perceive were somehow visible to him.

Then Elias noticed something else.

Violent energy was wrapped around his entire being.

It looked like countless dark chains had been forged from pure energy, winding around his body and binding him tightly.

Every strand seemed to suppress something within him, and although Elias couldn’t completely understand what he was looking at, a strange familiarity immediately surfaced in his mind.

’The seal.’

He remembered the seal that was preventing him from awakening his Three-Star Harmonic Dragon Physique.

Elias frowned as he examined the violent energy.

’So this is what has been stopping me from awakening it.’

The thought had barely formed when Monica’s voice suddenly resounded within his mind.

"You are currently perceiving yourself," she said, her voice calm and measured.

"The great path of the arcane requires us to go beyond ourselves and learn the world before eventually becoming a part of it. However, that is not what you are doing."

Elias remained silent as he continued observing the strange representation of himself.

"You are a swordsman, and the great path of the sword requires you to understand yourself and your sword," Monica continued.

"You do not want to learn the world, but instead become one with yourself."

Elias blinked slightly.

"Similarly, the great path of spirituality requires spiritualists to build stronger and stronger connections with the spirit realm before transcending the physical bounds and becoming a spirit themselves," she explained.

Her voice carried a strange fascination as she continued.

"Even though all of the great paths are inherently different, they all hold the psychology of becoming something beyond ourselves. Is that not fascinating?"

"Huh?" Elias paused before awkwardly answering, "Y-Yeah. It is."

He had expected Monica to begin teaching him about Healing magic immediately, yet instead she had suddenly started discussing the philosophy behind the various paths.

Elias honestly couldn’t give a damn about it right now.

"I think you are not interested in knowing the greater wisdom hidden beneath the surface of each path," Monica said, sounding slightly amused. "Whatever."

Elias remained quiet.

"Focus deep within yourself and look for a green flame," Monica instructed. "That is your life flame, which is formed from life essence."

Elias’s expression immediately became serious.

’My life flame.’

He took a slow breath and concentrated deeper within himself.

The strange scene before his consciousness began changing as his perception moved inward, and the representation of his body gradually became more detailed. What had previously looked like an ordinary physical structure began breaking down into increasingly smaller components.

The deeper Elias looked, the more complicated everything became.

His body seemed to transform into countless layers, and those layers continued breaking apart until he could perceive something resembling the molecular structure beneath them.

Elias continued descending through the strange representation of himself, carefully maintaining his concentration as he attempted to move beyond what he could normally perceive.

’Deeper.’

He focused harder.

The molecular structure became increasingly clear before gradually fading into something else, and Elias felt as though he were approaching the boundary separating his physical existence from his spiritual self.

Then his concentration suddenly broke.

Elias’s eyes opened, and he immediately leaned forward while breathing heavily.

"Haah... Haah..." he panted as sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Monica watched him from the bed and calmly explained, "It is difficult to do, and that is why Healing magic requires years of experience. Mages who damn themselves with the dream of becoming the Sage of Healing spend most of their lives sharpening their focus."

Elias wiped the sweat from his forehead.

’Focus?’

He lowered his gaze toward his hands as a thought gradually formed within his mind.

’Is that what I need to do this?’

A smile slowly appeared on his lips.

If the only problem was his ability to focus, then Elias had a very simple solution.

’Add ten Stat Points to Perception.’

The moment the thought entered his mind, the familiar orange screen appeared before him.

[Perception/Comprehension: 30 → 40]

The change was immediate.

His awareness expanded, and the world around him seemed to become noticeably clearer. Even the faint sensations within his own body became easier to distinguish, while his thoughts seemed to settle into perfect alignment.

Elias closed his eyes again.

’Let’s try this one more time.’

He focused on his mind’s eye, and the strange representation of his body immediately appeared before his consciousness.

This time, he didn’t hesitate.

His perception passed through the physical structure of his body with far greater ease, and the molecular level that had previously seemed impossibly complicated now became something he could observe without difficulty.

Elias continued moving deeper.

The molecular structure gradually disappeared behind him as his consciousness crossed another invisible boundary.

Then he entered his spiritual self.

A strange white plain stretched endlessly before him beneath a dark sky, and the emptiness of the place made Elias feel as though he had entered an entirely different world.

At the edges of the white plain, however, something far more disturbing could be seen.

Murky black and red tar clung to the borders of his spiritual self, spreading across the distant edges like a substance that had no place there.

Elias stared at it for a moment.

’What is that?’

Before he could examine it any further, his concentration began weakening again.

The strange spiritual landscape blurred.

His eyes opened, and he frowned slightly.

"So close," he mumbled.

He had managed to enter his spiritual self, but he hadn’t been able to remain there long enough to find the life flame.

Elias took another breath before closing his eyes once more.

’Then I just need more.’

He focused inward.

’Add ten Stat Points to Perception.’

[Perception/Comprehension: 40 → 50]

An overwhelming clarity immediately descended upon his consciousness.

Everything became sharper.

His thoughts became incredibly precise, and his perception seemed to cut through every layer of his existence without encountering the resistance that had slowed him down before.

Elias focused.

The physical body appeared.

He passed through it.

The molecular structure appeared.

He passed through that as well.

Then the strange boundary appeared before him, separating his physical existence from his spiritual self.

Elias crossed it effortlessly.

The white plain appeared beneath the dark sky, and the murky black and red tar remained at its edges, yet this time he didn’t stop there.

His perception continued moving deeper into his spiritual self.

The strange landscape gradually became clearer, and then Elias suddenly noticed something within the endless white plain.

A faint green light.

His attention immediately locked onto it.

He moved toward it, and with his newly sharpened perception, he reached the source in a single motion.

Elias’s consciousness finally stopped before a tiny flame floating within the white spiritual self.

It was green.

Its faint light gently illuminated the surrounding emptiness, and despite its small size, Elias could feel an indescribable vitality radiating from it.

The flame was only about the size of a pea, yet Elias instinctively understood that this tiny flame represented something fundamental to his existence.

Elias stared at his life flame floating within his white spiritual self.

’Heh.’

A smug smirk appeared on his lips.

’It was not even that hard.’