Chapter 225: Awakening His Second Heart

The scenery outside was still the epitome of untamed savagery, as was characteristic of the Scarlet Canopy.

The crimson trees stretched endlessly beneath the darkened sky, their twisted branches forming grotesque silhouettes against the faint vermilion glow that permeated the forest. The lingering mist drifted between the trees, and the occasional distant howl served as a reminder that danger still lurked within the darkness.

However, within the cave, the atmosphere was warm and tranquil.

At the center of the cavern, a campfire burned steadily, filling the cave with its warm orange light and flickering shadows that danced across the rough stone walls.

Around it, the members of the group lay sprawled across the ground, their bodies completely surrendered to sleep.

It was clear that they were utterly exhausted from the chaotic series of events that had occurred earlier.

As a matter of fact, the moment they had returned to the cave, the group had cared about little else besides eating and getting the much-needed rest they deserved.

Dinner had consisted of roasted wolf meat, prepared from the flesh they had harvested from the creatures after the battle. It was hardly the most luxurious meal they had ever eaten, but after everything they had endured that day, none of them had been in a position to complain.

Even Aureleah, who had declared that she would demand further answers from Aelric, had completely forgotten about that intention and promptly gone to sleep.

Clearly, they were all exhausted and no matter how much they tried to convince themselves otherwise, it was obvious that the events surrounding that day had taken an enormous toll on their bodies.

Now, each of them slept like laborers who had been granted a much-needed reprieve after a long day of backbreaking labor.

Well, everyone except Aelric.

The green-eyed youth had been more than happy to volunteer to stand guard for them throughout the night.

According to Aelric, the reason he was doing this was to atone for his previous transgression.

If only he knew that the group no longer cared about any of that. After all, it wasn’t as though they were going to remain angry with their benefactor and hold a grudge forever.

Besides, they had already survived the ordeal and there was little meaning in caring about that anymore.

However, Aelric wasn’t the only person who remained awake as another member of the group was yet to sleep and that person was Regaleon.

Sitting cross-legged in one corner of the cave, the silver-haired Knight was deep in meditation.

This time, however, his meditation had nothing to do with his cultivation. Instead, his attention was focused entirely upon another objective; the strange second Heart he possessed.

Within his hands were several Aether Cores he had managed to collect from Caelestra.

The others had questioned him about what he intended to do with them, but Regaleon had simply brushed them off with the excuse that he was attempting to determine whether he could use them to increase the tier of his Soul Essence once again.

Because the group had already witnessed a precedent for such an occurrence, they readily accepted his explanation and chose not to bother him any further.

And because of that, while everyone else slept, Regaleon remained seated in the darkness, attempting to reawaken the mysterious Heart within his body.

His meditation was almost identical to the method he had used earlier while cultivating within the Essence Pool.

According to what he had observed during that previous session, Regaleon had discovered something important.

The reason the strange Heart had become active earlier was because it had absorbed enough Aether to reach a certain level of saturation.

Once that threshold had been reached, something within it had been stimulated; something that Regaleon still didn’t fully understand.

But he had no intention of simply leaving the matter unexplored.

Using his previous experience as a blueprint, Regaleon attempted to activate the Heart once more.

He began by drawing out the Aether contained within the Cores through his consciousness and within moments, wisps of amber energy began rising from the crystals before flowing toward his body.

However, this time, Regaleon did not channel the Aether into his Primary or Secondary Aether Veins. Instead, he guided it deeper, toward his heart... Or rather, toward the metaphysical Heart that existed somewhere beyond the boundaries of his physical body.

At first, the energy merely circulated within his chest cavity and nothing happened. However, Regaleon remained perfectly still, continuing to direct more and more Aether into that location.

Then, the moment the accumulated energy began to saturate the area, something changed and his second Heart suddenly became active.

Just like during the previous awakening, the mysterious Heart began absorbing the Aether. ℴ

The more it absorbed, the more vigorously it pulsed.

THUMP! THUMP!! THUMP!!!

The rhythm was almost identical to the beating of a living heart. Except this heartbeat wasn’t physical but resonated somewhere far deeper.

Immediately upon receiving that response, Regaleon began channeling even more Aether from the Cores into the Heart.

The amber energy flowed continuously, disappearing into that mysterious existence within him.

It wasn’t long before the first two Cores were completely drained. Their glow faded, cracks spread across their surfaces, and then they shattered.

Fortunately, Regaleon had already prepared for this.

Around where he sat, numerous Aether Cores had been arranged in a concentric circle.

He had deliberately prepared them beforehand so that once the process began, he wouldn’t need to interrupt his meditation merely to replace the exhausted crystals.

The moment one Core was depleted, the others would immediately begin releasing their energy, ensuring that the flow of Aether never stopped.

Therefore, undeterred and composed, Regaleon continued his meditation and within moments, several wisps of amber energy began rising from the surrounding Cores.

The crystals illuminated the cave with a soft amber radiance, casting a dreamlike glow across the sleeping group. The warm light shimmered against the stone walls, mingling with the orange radiance of the campfire and creating overlapping waves of gold and crimson throughout the cavern.

Shadows stretched and receded with every flicker, while tiny motes of illuminated dust drifted lazily through the air. For a brief moment, the cave looked almost peaceful—unaware that something far stranger was occurring within it.

But neither the members of the group, who remained deeply asleep, nor Regaleon himself took notice of the change.

Only Aelric, standing at the cave’s entrance, was able to see the spectacle.

His green eyes narrowed slightly as he looked toward the silver-haired Knight. He watched Regaleon for several moments, yet whatever thoughts crossed his mind remained unknown.

Eventually, Aelric simply turned his head back toward the forest, continuing with his duty as the group’s guardian.

Meanwhile, the wisps of Aether continued flooding into Regaleon’s body, his consciousness carefully directing every strand toward the strange Heart.

The more Aether entered the metaphysical Heart, the more violently it began to pulse.

THUMP! THUMP!! THUMP!!!

The rhythm grew stronger, more forceful and more intense...

The phenomenon continued for quite some time while Regaleon remained motionless, his breathing steady as the surrounding Aether continued pouring into him.

Then, suddenly, he felt a violent pull upon his consciousness. His eyes remained closed, his body remained completely still but his consciousness was no longer anchored to it.

Just like before, he didn’t even have enough time to react before his consciousness was yanked violently from his physical vessel and hurled into that mysterious metaphysical realm beyond his body’s senses.

At almost the exact same moment... Several Aether Cores suddenly shattered mysteriously. Their accumulated energy erupted outward before being swallowed by some kind of invisible force.

The remaining Cores followed; one after another, they cracked, dimmed, and collapsed as their Aether was devoured simultaneously.

And just like that, the carefully prepared reserves of Aether Cores Regaleon had arranged around himself became obsolete.

His physical body was once again left sitting motionlessly within the cave, empty and still; like nothing more than a vessel whose consciousness had completely departed.

And somewhere beyond the boundaries of that physical vessel, Regaleon’s consciousness had once again entered the unknown...