Chapter 7 - A Perfect Turn Of Events

Laniakea grabs his chest, suppressing a scream. "W-what is happening? Why does it hurt so much! I-I have to quickly remove the overflowing energy and add it back to my soul!" He does everything in his power to return the energy into his soul while enduring unimaginable pain. He knows that if he doesn't succeed, his mind will collapse from the stress, leaving him disabled or, in the worst case, dead. Laniakea knows he has to act fast; he begins forcing the energy back into his soul... but it's no use. ​"No! It's not working! The energy isn't going back. I-I'm going to die." Laniakea can no longer suppress the pain. He tries to hold on, but eventually passes out with the fear of death. He lies there for hours, not moving a single muscle, suspended in a near-death state. When he finally opens his eyes, he instantly springs up, grabbing his chest and vomiting impurities out of his body. "How am I still... alive? I should've died." Panicked, Laniakea checks his soul and body using the core creation method he saw in the book. A surprised expression crosses his face as he realizes he actually created a core. ​"Wait... even though I somehow succeeded in creating a core, how is my soul unharmed? No my soul and body feel stronger, and cleaner. What? A newly formed core should only be the size of a fingernail, so how is mine as big as a fist?" He pauses, considering the possibility. "Was it because my core almost burst? Because I didn't die, did the core automatically adapt to the overflowing energy and stay that size? But this still doesn't answer how I survived. A normal human would have definitely exploded." Laniakea looks around to see that it has already become dark. He says jokingly, "Looks like passing out has become a habit. At least I'm not dead. I should probably go back to the orphanage because Sister is probably worried about me." He makes his way back, but instead of running, he simply walks. Having never been more conscious of his muscles, he can feel the blood pumping through every single one of his veins. Yet, it's not just blood he can also feel that strange liquid flowing through him. If it felt like his body was merely enhanced by the liquid when he fell into the pond, it now feels as though he has become one with it. He opens the Aura book he had been holding and looks for tips on how to use the Aura heart he just acquired, yet he finds nothing. While he lacks proper control, some of his Aura leaks onto the book, causing it to glow faintly almost unnoticeable to average human eyes. But Laniakea does not have average eyes as his eyesight was already special, and after the pond, it improved even more. Now that he has created an Aura heart to enhance his body, his vision is unrivaled, even by knights who have built their Aura hearts for years. Laniakea notices the book glowing upon contact with his Aura. He continues injecting his Aura into the cover, causing a thin notebook of about ten pages to fall out. He opens it and sees an Aura cultivation technique: "The Liquid Aura Cultivation." ​"Wait, this is perfect for me! My Aura heart is already built on liquid, so wouldn't this speed up my progress more than a normal technique? Not only that, but I can save the cost of buying one myself!" He exclaims joyfully, happy to find something so fitting. Taking a quick detour to his hideout next to the snow bark, he stashes the book explaining Aura in the abandoned squirrel nest with his other books. He slips the notebook into his pocket and resumes his way home.