Zane twiddled with Wisteria in his finger as he stared at the faint array he was sitting on. It wasn't the typical runes he was used to seeing, in fact it was a seemingly different dialect of the language spoken here.

  [ The Hermit is claiming this is his first time to view such a "ceremony"]

  'Ceremony my ass.'

  [ The Contract Administrator assures you that it'll work out]

  [ Stolen Qi wonders how 'that' person plans on toying with you]

  [ The Blessed Qilin is looking at Stolen Qi with scorn]

  [ Stolen Qi is baring their teeth at The Blessed Qilin]

  [ The Contract Administrator thinks should go to ?? to solve internal disputes]

  'Why were they wasting their species sending so many indirect messages to each other through a medium that the players could see?'

  Zane sucked in a breath and relaxed his tense muscles. He had dealt worse, he could suck it up and deal with it. He tried to remind himself how excruciating it had been when his brother had done it. It couldn't be so bad.

  He gazed at the ceiling and let out a frosty breath as he took in the sight of more scripture. Just then, the door slid open, and Zane jolted.

  Hua Yi looked at him with a concerned... or amused expression. "You'll live." she gruffed, not hinting what would live. Two women and a man followed in after her, locking the door behind Hua Yi with a chain. Zane recognised it—it was , a form of Golden Thread that had a 'tale' behind it.

  Zane exhaled through his nose as a sharp pang rang through his head. He took a deep breath to stabilize himself.

  If he remembered accurately, according to Caue in the future, three people had done it before, two had survived. And of course, how and what, that wasn't something he knew about.

  So…

  "We've done this on one person," one of the women said. She was wearing all white robes, a telltale sign she was a part of medics. She tapped his shoulder. "Crouch, don't sit."

  Zane complied, not wanting anything to go wrong. He sat on the tips of his toes and rested his knees on the floor.

  "That person has survived," she said thankfully.

  Zane closed his eyes, it didn't ease the anticipation that was flowing through his veins. He felt the presence of the man behind him, and then a flat hand against the small of his back.

  "The procedure is straightforward." Hua Yi crouched down, she stared at him for a few moments. "Hua Yao will flush you with mana, which will cause your body to be overflowing with 'good' energy and then the Jiangshi's 'evil' energy will be transmitted into your body to maintain an equilibrium so you don't fall victim to the Watchers who want to take your body," she said, looking above Zane and at the man behind him.

  "Your part of the System?" Zane asked.

  "I'm flattered that you think my skills were that efficient without me being a part of the System," she said.

  'No, you just didn't seem like the type who would get into shit like this,' Zane thought. If he voiced it, he would most likely be whacked by her. "Sure, I suppose."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

  "Nothing," Zane replied. "How much time might this take?"

  "To unlock your core, it will take anywhere from ten minutes to under two hours. For the core to stabilize and be adjusted into your body, it may take more than a day of rest," Hua Yi said. "Circumstances are these, focus. Focus on anything that calms you. And we'll do the best to stabilize you."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Zane wanted to say something, but his voice betrayed him.

  "Relax." Hua Yi took a step back. "Depending on your current spiritual energy, the strength of how your core will blossom depends." She took another step back till she was out of the weird pattern of the flooring. "I hope you're ready."

  Zane sucked in a breath. He should be fine.

  Hua Yao put his second hand on Zane's shoulder. "Young man, we need a drop of your blood to activate the array formation. It should be given on your volition."

  Zane nodded as he scratched the side of a recent wound on his forearm that had started healing. As he did so, a few droplets of blood began pooling at it. Within a moment, they fell and the intricate pattern on the ground began glowing a brilliant silver.

  He watched as the light began causing even the smallest lines on the array to glow, such as the thin ones at the very corner of the array, the base of the foundation. It caused a sudden wind to be ripping their surroundings, causing Zane's hair to lift in the air.

  The more lines and intricacy an array had, the stronger it was, that was the main idea of array formations.

  "Focus. Stay calm." Hua Yi commanded. "Hua Yao."

  The same palm hit his back.

  It was a weird feeling, like a vibration running through his body—like his entirety had been shaken.

  [ The Contract Administrator is holding her hair]

  [ The Hermit is looking at you with inquisitive eyes]

  [The Great Jiangshi is staring hungrily]

  Zane paused in the middle of taking a deep breath as his body lurched forward, and coughed out blood. The two women tightened their grips on Zane's forearms, their hands pressing into his skin tightly—glowing bright as they used a form of to keep him from losing too much of his spiritual energy.

  The entire idea of mana composition was the equilibrium power of what was deemed as both 'good' and 'evil' since that was the only way one could use it without falling prey to the black and white nature of the concept.

  "Keep calm!" Hua Yi shouted, she was in front of Zane, the base of her hands against the ground as she fused her own energy with the array.

  Zane felt like he was about to faint, his head was light headed, and he could feel that his chest was on fire. At the sheer pressure of everything, blood began dripping from his nose, and Zane managed to calm his body but it still shook against his will.

  "Agh!" his vision shook.

  "Focus on anything!" Hua Yi shouted again.

  His eyes fell upon the ground, mind racing with an influx of thoughts he struggled to coherently make out.

  〈"Keep your senses in place. It's the most practical thing in any scenario. On top of that, how did you invoke the Church's attention that much?"〉

  'Who had said it?' Zane had no idea. He closed his eyes, feeling his hands shake violently in the grip of the two women. It was a disgusting feeling in general—his stomach feeling as though it had turned upside down—ears ringing with distinct tinnitus, metal on the tip of his tongue, and a stinging sensation in his throat.

  He focused on his breath. It wasn't that he was repulsed by the idea of meditation, it was just there was no possible way he could do it with his surroundings a mess. But somehow, he managed to keep his senses intact—keep his thoughts focused on a blank slate.

  Zane shifted his forelegs, just to feel them, but that's when he felt something different. Something heavier. His chest felt stiffer.

  [ The Sermon is gazing at you]

  〈"You are weak. Do you know that? Without proper functioning mana, you went against the Church authorities, got caught, couldn't escape, couldn't even land a streak on their reputation. Well, at least we have one same thing stuck in our bloodline. The distaste for following religion." 〉

  Zane opened his eyes at the thought. He recalled well. It was his older brother who had said that, then had proceeded through with helping him unlock his mana. Zane gazed down at his chest, where the gold aura that surrounded him was seeping into his chest.

  He looked up, things seemed to have been done, and the distinct pain in his body clearly told him that he'd been there for a good hour at least. Hua Yi was saying something but it was inaudible, and Zane finally let his hands drop to his sides, and Zane looked back at his chest.

  There was a bright golden and he brought his hand to it. It felt warm to the touch, as if it were actually alive.

  [Your Mana Core is responding to your touch!]

  [The compatibility is being decided]

  [Your spiritual energy is high!]

  [Mana Core fusion: 35%]

  [Time: 43 hours]

  A stinging sensation ran through his body when he touched his mana core—he wondered if this was how it felt to touch a star. In the corner of his mind, he couldn't help but think how painless this had been compared to the heinous shit his brother had pulled on him. What was that? Pain unlocks the body to take energy.

  The mana core came upon his hand weightlessly and disappeared back into his chest. It wriggled as if it was alive.

  [The Great Jiangshi does not feel threatened by your existence]

  [Many are surprised at the statement of the vile beings!]

  [ of the 14th bureau are hooked!]

  [Compatibility: mediocre]

  Muffled calls were heard, but his neck felt too stiff to move in the direction of them—in fact, Zane's mind felt as if it had been basked in a warmth he hadn't felt for so long. But before he could dwell in it for longer, light fell upon him.

  Zane's eyes averted to the bungalow's door, which had opened up. Li Feng pushed the door to the side and walked towards Zane, stepping on one of the distant array lines, effectively breaking its effect. The silver array around Zane slowly began to fade away, leaving him limp.

  The feeling was horrible, as if energy had just seeped out of his body. He winced in pain when his body made contact with the hard floor. His vision blurred with the feeling of being lifted.