Igniting the Spark
After a week that felt like hell, a girl succumbed to exhaustion on the day the Awakening Elixirs were due to arrive and died. Her still-warm body passed by the case of elixirs, a cruel joke of fate. The youths were somber, knowing any one of them could be next.
Asher's crimson eyes fixed on the case as it was carried by two soldiers into Lieutenant Ronan's quarters. Clenching his fists, he vowed to survive at all costs.
Images of Loretta and Byfang flashed through his mind, the pain of their final gaze still entwined around his heart. He would not let those responsible for taking those eyes from him live—neither the Predators nor the Black Widow Hunting Party. They all had to die!
But first, Asher had to crawl out of hell. The flames of vengeance burned in his eyes, starting with those elixirs.
Once the elixirs disappeared into the barracks, Lieutenant Ronan addressed the youths, "I hope you've read the manual. This afternoon, you will receive your injections of the Awakening Elixir. You must follow the procedures outlined in the manual to stimulate your genetic potential. A word of advice: do your best to ignite your spark within the first two injections. Otherwise, even if you manage to ignite it on the third and final try, your achievements will be limited, and you won't live long..."
With two hours left until noon, Ronan showed unusual mercy by not continuing training. The youths could return to their barracks, and the first thing each one did was pore over the manual, memorizing every word in hopes of igniting their spark on the first try.
Asher was no exception, but after reading the manual once, he set it aside. In fact, he could recite every instruction verbatim after just one reading. The brutal training seemed to have awakened something dormant within him, granting him a remarkable memory. Compared to when he first arrived at camp, Asher's physical fitness had at least doubled.
The manual provided by Ronan, which included instructions for awakening genetic potential and igniting the spark, was a method developed over hundreds of years by the federal government. It was widely promoted in the military, spawning numerous Source Energy wielders each year. Of course, the noble families on the floating islands had their own methods of enlightenment and naturally disdained this textbook approach.
After all, using the Awakening Elixir came with certain drawbacks. The lower classes didn't mind, but the upper-class nobles sought excellence and perfection. Unless absolutely necessary, even the lesser branches of their families would not use the Awakening Elixir.
After thoroughly memorizing the manual's contents, Asher did nothing else. During this rare downtime, he lay on his bed, completely relaxing. Meanwhile, the other youths showed more signs of nervousness and anxiety.
Time passed in various states of mind, and soon it was afternoon. After lunch, the youths were gathered in a hall—a space resembling an air-raid shelter within the mountain. It was spacious and quiet. Once the two steel doors of the hall closed, all outside noise was cut off. Aside from the youths and Ronan, there were only a few medical soldiers present.
Asher, along with the others, sat cross-legged on the ground as instructed. The medics opened the case and loaded syringes with the elixir—a three-centimeter tube glowing with a greenish luminescence—into injection guns. At Ronan's direction, they injected the elixir into each youth's arm one by one.
As the cool needle pierced his skin and the elixir was pressed into his vein, Asher's mind began to drift. He knew this was the effect of the elixir, which greatly expanded human neural sensitivity and produced a hallucinatory sensation similar to drug injection.
The manual stated that when the elixir took effect, one had to concentrate their mind, sinking their consciousness in a meditative state to feel the resonance with Source Energy and awaken it from its genetic slumber.
Cosmic Source Energy was about seeking outward, like the Cubic energy device—a clear example. Life Source Energy, on the other hand, was the opposite. Without sinking one's consciousness, it was impossible to touch the power hidden deep within one's genes.
Following the manual's method, Asher used deep breaths to focus his mind, then imagined himself sinking deeper. Under the elixir's influence, his neural sensitivity increased exponentially. Soon, he couldn't hear anything but the steady beat of his own heart. As his consciousness merged with the heartbeat, the world became eerily calm.
His life's experiences flashed backward through his mind. He saw Byfang fall, himself leaving with the wolf pack, and the snow-white severed finger on the blackened ground...
His brief life passed by in his consciousness until every image faded, and all became silent.
In the eyes of his soul, light began to emerge in the silent world. Beneath the pale red glow, something pulsed slowly. When his mind's tendrils touched it, Asher realized it was a fetus.
Himself.
With the elixir's aid, Asher's consciousness sank deeper into his soul, embarking on a profound journey to the origins of his being. He revisited fragments of his life and even felt his fetal self. Continuing deeper, his soul shattered silently, revealing countless twinkling lights like a sea of stars across his entire field of vision.
Asher's heart leapt, knowing he had finally reached into the depths of his genes and "saw" his own life Source Energy. Without hesitation, his soul's tendrils reached for the closest glimmer of light, seemingly near yet infinitely distant. He persisted, and as the tendril thinned, it finally hooked a speck of light. Upon contact, the still light flickered and rushed along the tendril. In an instant, it burst into blinding brilliance before Asher's "eyes," and the world of consciousness shook gently. Asher lurched forward uncontrollably.
Now, he truly opened his eyes, to see a pair of solid square-toed military boots. Looking up, he met Ronan's astonished face.
Ronan stared at him for a full minute, making Asher uncomfortable. Then, with a grin, he slapped Asher so hard he nearly fell back down, chuckling, "You didn't disappoint, kid. Igniting your spark on the first try with the elixir is impressive."
Asher was momentarily confused, then he felt it—a new force circulating with his blood.
The first Source Energy vortex!
Creating a Source Energy vortex signified the ignition of the spark. From this moment, Asher had stepped into the ranks of Source Energy wielders. Ronan had someone bring over a notebook with a list of the youths. He briefly recorded Asher's ignition of the spark and left a note: "Great potential."
If Ronan knew that Asher could see his entire life's past and trace back to his fetal stage, eventually beholding a sea of Source Energy stars like the universe itself, he would have written "Extraordinary talent." Typically, even after using the elixir, if someone managed to sink their consciousness, they would see only scattered fragments of their past, not a complete experience like Asher.
Moreover, they wouldn't be able to see their fetal stage unless they had developed perception in the womb! Finally, the amount of Source Energy lights seen when one's consciousness fully integrated into their genes was a direct measure of potential. Normally, seeing a galaxy of lights would be considered "great potential."
But Asher saw a sea of stars, a vast Source Energy universe!
Two hours later, the effects of the elixir wore off, and all the youths opened their eyes. It was as if they had all had a long dream, their faces showing reluctance to return to reality, but soon each was struck by an instructor's whip.
Ronan shook his head, "You waste, aside from Asher, not one of you ignited your spark, wasting a chance. Remember, you don't have many opportunities left."
The youths' resistance to being hit had greatly improved; at least they could withstand the instructors' lashes. But when they heard about Asher igniting his spark, their looks changed. As Asher walked away from the steel door, he felt all kinds of gazes from behind. Jealousy, envy, resentment—various emotions mixed together.
The training continued to intensify. Ronan raised the bar for the exercises, always setting the standard just beyond the youths' reach. His precision was so exact he even added weights for special individuals, like Asher, whose training volume was now twice that of the others!