I take a deep breathe in the dream realm, enjoying the breeze, the soothing sounds, the fresh air. The only thing you can hate is the fact that you have to kill to survive here~ "not so bad~" he walk comfortable down the street, to the weapon store and the opposite direction to Ravenheart. You might be thinking, 'how is this possible' well this is his Aspect ability, that allows him to clone himself. Currently he can make 1 more clones, since he is an awakened and when he was an aspirant he had duel thinking. His ability is rather simple, his first innate ability is that my thoughts are split multiple, my dormant was cloning, and my awakened is the ability to change appearances.
What I'm doing currently is rather unique, I heard a rumor that changing star has the ability to burn her soul to get powerful bursts of energy, even though she has the power of a saint, her ability to explode her soul was said to rival multiple nukes, but Saints fire power don't contain that much, sure she has a divine Talent that could give her purer essence or something but it's just not plausible, so I came up with a theory, she has multiple soul cores.
Sure, sure it's only theoretical AND based on a rumor… but, her ability to blow up things scale from small to continental, so the only plausible explanation is that she discovered an ancient art of creating soul cores! That would be revolutionary but on the other hand, it might be impossible to even sustain them, maybe not all humans can? Maybe the process is painful? Either way he had to try.
Few days later
During the process of researching he studied a lot of histories of souls, and soul cores, how people found their essence before creating their core unlike how we do it by the spell, that natural path of progression would be to find your essence, create a soul core to become awakened, train longer to become a master and try to awaken your aspect unlike us, who awaken it by the spell, than try to become one with the world or your aspects nature, by refining and purifying the soul more thoroughly.
And no one knows how to become supreme, and no one needs to, after all the nightmare spell, even with its dangers can lead us into supremacy. But what I'm focusing on is the original forming of a soul core, by killing an awakened and creating a soul core fast would be painful and could kill you, or by awakening your essence naturally and lastly by absorbing the purified soul shards of nightmare creatures to awaken your essence.
"What I'm trying to do is relearn how to become an awaken then learn how to build another soul core, to do that I need your help~" I asked my older cousin. He was 20 and had crimson eyes and dark brown hair. "I'm over the age where people get the nightmare spell?" he said plainly. I retorted "but during the first phase of the nightmare spell, everyone had a chance to awaken and even in antarctica!" I added "plus~ imagine waking up without aches and pains~ and you won't even have to challenge a nightmare or travel the dream realm alone!" he pondered slightly, after all the benefits outweigh the losses. "but what about my flaw?" I ponder it slightly "well, depending on it, it might hinder combat or your life, but honestly seeing as my skill is only transcendent in rank I believe you'll get a low tier, plus you only get a flaw if you awaken an aspect, and without the spell you won't get an aspect or a flaw!" I say happily.
After a little more convincing he finally gives in, we step outside into the dream realm and walk around Raven heart, a city full of springs and lively people. We step into a secluded cabin, made from a kind and cheap plant aspect user's plants and went inside, it was cozy, warm and the few memories and enchanted items he got, made it very comfy to live in. with that he pulled out a box under the bed full of soul shards.
"holy.." it was a small fortune of soul shards, around a hundred in total, anyone worth their knowledge would know how ludicrous that amount is. "how did you.." "relax Tom~ I have a clone, and that clone always hunts, while I go on with my life~ plus I filled my core a while back. Now" I hand him a hammer made out of archaic material of the dream realm, which I made myself of course~ "now I need you to smash one by one until you feel your essence" he nods hesitantly and grabs one by one crushing it on a desk made of hardened steel I use for tinkering and crafting.
He tells me what he feels the entire process so I know what he is up to. He said that he feel the essence coming into him and settling into his body, but he can't will it yet. After about a 10 more, which I look away from in a pained expression, losing hundreds of Raven Coins each. "I can feel it.." Tom looks astonished. "yesssss" I hiss out with a bitter smile and slightly teary. "it was your idea you know.." Tom said awkwardly. "yes but it's like actively watching someone gambling your money away.. But that doesn't matter~" I say straightening up.
"Now in olden times they use to sit for a prolong period of time and crystalise it by circling and making small clumps, you can stretch it out but I think its much more worth it too just do it entirely. That's why I said to told you to clear your calendar." Tom sighs dramatically and starts circulating his essence, he explains the feeling, the process and a rough estimate on how long it will take, about a few days maybe a week if he sits still and do nothing. Which I tell him "I'll take care of your needs~ just focus on that core~"
During this time I continue tinkering away on my desk, studying old notes and working on spell tech mixed with runic sorcery. meanwhile I put more focus into my other.
"Day 926 of surviving the dream realm alone.." I say in a survival channel tone "my armour collection grows, much more, as well as my ability to battle nightmare creatures" I wrap my fore arm with a snakeskin like substance. As I pose to hunt an awaken beast. I summon a long spear, with a weight of a car, and throw it with enough force to put a huge whole through its head
[you have slain an awakened monster, Cackling Hyna]
I summon my storage memory which I got from Sunny's Brilliant emporium and Diner. "oh to eat there again~" he creams at the thought but collects and eats the monster anyways.
His strength, speed, agility, flexibility and stamina are better than average due to the attribute [physically gifted] and his essence control has gotten to the point that he can circulate while doing normal activity's so he only rarely bottoms out. His wide Armory of memories are also something to gawk at, after all he owns 100's of memories ranging from dormant to ascended with only 1 transcendent memory being the spear. Sadly he's too broke to know the enchants of the memories, that's why, by combining spell tech and Runic sorcery and other possibilities he might be able to create a tool to see memories.
Before I awakened I used to love the intricacies of spell tech, the mysterious energy able to power not just tools but people, not just that, in the history of the dream realm, there were other types of Spell tech! which is named sorcery but they work the same. some spell tech even have regenerating clothes that can be fed essence to fix itself! I used to study theory after theory, studying and researching pioneers who created mechs to battle awakened monsters as mundane! I loved the idea of spell tech and still do with all my heart, and that poured into sorcery and ancient history! With how many areas in the dream realm there are, you can't help but be amazed by the long, deep history it contains.
A month later Tom finally awakened. "holy shit!" I shout out with joy, eating a very unique fruit from the dream realm. Tom has been sitting on the bed for weeks, I used some memories and spell tech to give him nutrition, comfort, quiet and even concentration. But the guy with all his cockiness was off by weeks! "finally you bastard! How did you over estimate yourself!" Tom looked at himself checking out his changes, too awed to speak to me. "is this how you feel like?" he looks goes into the mirror and touches his face.
"you essence control should be very high, but since you're not part of the spell, you won't be able to get memories, but I can make you spell tech and Runic enchanted items for you~" Tom Clenches his fist feeling his new found strength. I smile and look at him. "wanna fight?"
we immediately go outside, and we get into a fighting stance, he didn't learn much hand to hand combat but I have a few enchanted swords for training laying around so I give him the better one. "these swords close up wounds they inflict, but no head shots or stabbing hearts and by the way, it still hurts like hell so be careful~" I say.
Tom dashes at me, with the basic fighting technique you learn in school, he slashes forward, I parry it and try to slash at his torso. Tom quickly used essence to speed up the movement of his arm to block it, I continue to press my advantage, while pushing forward, while he focusses on defensive maneuvers. He finally sees an opening and goes for it, which promptly lead him to being flipped and landing face first.
"5 minutes~ not that bad considering I one shot awakened beasts" he pants heavily, being extremely tired even though our spar was very short. "you used to much essence, breathed at the wrong points in battle, your stance wasn't too wobbly but you could have spread your legs out more" I give him a few pointers, while he looked embarrassed at his fail, he knew that it would only be obvious. After all I was surviving in the dream realm alone constantly, while also tinkering and training here.
I made him take a vow of silence from how he awakened and told him that I was willing to teach him how to fight if he wanted. "just say that you got lost and exited the domain, and that you got really lucky and survived the nightmare easily oh and your flaw is that you can't wield memories" I come up with a lie for him. "but are you sure you don't want lessons?" I asked inquisitively "I don't need to, too much of my time would be taken up and my fiancé will be pissed if she found out i awakened without her permission already, training might be too far." I nod knowingly "makes sense"
I finish up my notes on awakening naturally, "it was a hard topic but thankfully my subject was willing and explanatory and the fact that I held him here for the entirety of time. Naturally this was a stepping stone, the real achievement is to create another soul core~" it's the soul reason I don't want to challenge a nightmare, even though my core is full, even though I have a wide arsenal, even though I have another body, I still don't feel safe challenging it. And plus if I become an awakened titan I might be able to beat Corrupted Demons~ I giggle to myself like an idiot.