Jon and Avahi stared at each other for a few seconds, before the latter merely tilted their head, not understanding why Jon would refuse. The creature before her, the one named Jon, had protected her unconscious form while she accepted her Mana Core integration notice, even moving her to a more comfortable location instead of being sprawled out on the damp sands.

Avahni had to admit, that despite Jon's Race appearing somewhat primitive, it had at least developed a working language of hand gestures and emotive expressions to indicate moods or specific feelings.

It had been somewhat awkward seeing a savage, naked alien strut around in front of her. She was unsure of the biological function of the organ in between Jon's legs, and somewhat surprised of the presence of hair across his body as well. There had been primate species back on her planet with a similar stature and appearance, although Jon lacked the thick layers of hair across his body.

She had been impressed with the level of pain tolerance Jon's Race possessed. Lutin's were particularly vulnerable towards fire considering their nature as sentient flora, so the fact that Avahni had managed to obtain a Fire Mana Core was an absolute stroke of luck.

How she had managed to obtain two Wood Mana Cores within her first couple hours of arriving within the small realm was beyond her. A swirling amalgamation of spiritual energy just formed at the base of the largest tree she could find, eventually coalescing into another Wood Mana Core.

The lutin cursed her luck, before shortly hearing the ear-shattering sound of an explosion and swiftly running towards it. She was barely a few hundred feet from where Jon and that creature fought, catching the end of the fight raising an eyebrow as the strange alien continued to push through the pain, admiring his endurance and fortitude.

She had seen the possibilities given to her while waiting within the System Pure Room, and chosen a Wood Mana Core, thinking that it would enhance her relationship with the Mother, only to be met with an unimaginable amount of pain.

The System had told her that she had taken over twenty-four hours to recover from the integration of her first Mana Core. While Avahni did not think that was particularly impressive, after seeing how Jon fought through the pain of having their flesh and skin scorched, she suspected that it took the 'human', a lot less time to awaken after integrating their Mana Core.

After seeing him fight that strange fire-breathing bird creature; his immense strength and speed, alongside display of cunning he had shown, made Avahni consider working with this alien. Even if his society and overall civilization was quite underdeveloped, his physical capabilities alone perhaps made him one of the strongest individuals within the small realm.

'I did not consider the possibility that fragments would manifest themselves after defeating wild beasts or mutated creatures. Although, I am much more interested in the type of Mana Core that could interest a barbarian who doesn't even wear clothes?'

Avahni took a risk, considering that this alien didn't immediately attack her on sight. Accepting the Fire Mana Core integration notice, Avahni braced herself for another horrid sensation of pain through her body but found that barely any time had passed between the time she passed out, and the time she woke up.

Considering that the human named Jon had protected her while she was vulnerable, it was only fair that she does the same for him. It wasn't a matter of trust or faith in one another, but an equivalent exchange which Avahni desired to uphold.

Avahni was unsure if Jon's culture had a similar concept, but tried to communicate with him, even after watching him shake his head in refusal. Avahni could only watch as Jon pointed at her, before gesturing towards the tree line and beyond.

Avahni showed an uncharacteristically puzzled expression at Jon's gestures, before swiftly nodding her head in understanding.

'Ah. Jon wants me to move further away for him to integrate his Mana Core. He doesn't trust that I won't do something while he is unconscious. For a primitive species, he is quite paranoid. Perhaps his Race is not at the top of the food chain on his planet. Or perhaps they live and work in small tribes or clans, like our ancestors used to do'.

Avahni paused for a moment, blinking a couple times.

'Come to think of it, I am the first lutin to ever encounter another sentient alien Race!? I can't wait to tell mother about this!'

Avahni thought that she had started to build a rapport with the human known as Jon. At the very least, he wasn't aggressive or outwardly antagonistic towards her, perhaps just afraid of her appearance or the fact that she was a creature he had never seen before.

She had seen the mandatory System tasks that every individual was required to complete over the duration of the System Introduction and thought that Jon was the best way to tick off at least one of those tasks.

If she could teach him her language as well, then perhaps the two of them could search the small realm for other individuals, or complete the other tasks required of them.

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Giving Jon a smile and a big nod, Avahni gestured towards herself, and then back towards the forest. She tried to inform Jon to let her know after he had integrated his Mana Core, shouting her name as a means of calling her back.

She thought that the human understood her, or at the very least, he nodded as if he understood her, before watching as her figure disappeared back into the forest. Unbeknownst to Jon, her eyes focused on receiving her System task rewards, rather than on himself or his stash of fragments.

Break

Jon could merely watch on in silence as Avahni's figure disappeared through the tree line. The lutin, with a skip in their step, vanished through the thick layer of trees and shrubbery, swiftly exiting his field of vision. His expression somewhat confused as he tried to understand what was going on inside Avahni's head.

'Is she actually going to leave while I integrate my Mana Core? Did she understand what I meant, or is she going to come back the moment I accept the integration notice?'

Jon suspected that Avahni would have completed at least a single optional task through the integration of an additional Mana Core. There was a chance that she was integrating a powerful System generated fragment into one of her Mana Cores right this moment, so Jon felt as though he had no time to waste.

Reaching over to his bag, Jon laid down in a comfortable position, cradling the Wood Mana Core in his uninjured palm.

Jon marked a line in the sand where the shadow of the tree canopy ended, before focusing on the familiar notification appear before him.

"Wood" Mana Core discovered.

Would you like to integrate this "Wood" Mana Core?

Y/N

Accepting the System prompt, Jon felt his mind disassociate from his physical body, stretching beyond his Sea Of Knowledge, beyond the limits of his psyche, towards the absolute source of his entire being.

Jon opened his mouth to speak, but felt no words leave his throat. There were no words to describe what he was seeing, as if the meaning of form and context crumbled away like dust, leaving only what he knew to be true in existence.

He was greeted with the form of absolute nothingness. A colourless abyss devoid of light or sound or depth. There was no air or wind. No heat or cold. No emotion and no desire. Nothing but… emptiness.

But somehow… some part of Jon knew everything around himself to be "Jonathan Randall Guilliman".

This lightless word containing nothing… was everything that Jon was and ever could possibly be. There was so much possibility, so much variation, so much potential that every single colour and probability had each overlapped over the other, preventing Jon from seeing the Path he truly wanted to take.

It was as if he peered through the gates of truth and knowledge. Jon had peered into the infinite and given into temptation, forgetting what he had originally set out to accomplish, set out to achieve. His mortal mind unable to bear the weight of possibility, allowing his stifled appetites to gorge on the colours of possibility.

He had been seduced by the infinite and become blind to the truth.

Jon could see instances where he had chosen differently during the System Introduction. Instances where he had chosen a Lightning Mana Core or a Dragon Mana Core, overpowering the fire-breathing duck with ease, a sense of domination filling the colourless abyss.

Times where he had chosen differently, integrating a Space Mana Core, or a Time Mana Core. Where Jon had gone against the pulsating throb in his chest, and chosen a Lies Mana Core, or a Fate Mana Core.

There were so many different possibilities before Jon, that he almost didn't notice a streak of light flicker in the corner of his eye. His mind was so entranced with the sheer number of possibilities before him, that Jon almost didn't turn away.

Jon thought he saw a greyish-silver flash flicker across the distance. He tried to take a step forward as if to follow it but found himself walking towards a variation of himself with the Astral Mana Core. His brows furrowed as he swiftly turned away, looking once more that than strange flicker of light.

Walking through variation after variation of himself, Jon swiftly found that lustrous greyish-silver shine once more. Feeling his mind focused on the trail of light, Jon felt the temptations of possibility around him dim, as that luminescent glow swiftly fill his entire vision.

With a burst of light that could outshine a star, Jon could merely stand by and watch as the greyish-silver shine streaked off into the distance, observing as another flicker of greenish luminescence carve an arc through the infinite after it.

He felt it calling to him. For him to follow.

There was no use in trying to worry about other possibilities. His future was right here in front of him, waiting for him to reach it.

Jon unconsciously lifted his hand towards it, as if trying to grasp it.

Only to open his eyes, seeing the image of his outstretched arm superimposed upon the physical world. There was no more absolute nothingness. No more infinite possibilities. No more "Jonathan Randall Guilliman".

He was back in the small realm, back within his body, back within…

Jon paused, finding himself unable to describe the short experience.

'How… long was I unconscious for? That felt as though I was only passed out for a few seconds, perhaps a minute at the most. Why did Avahni's take so long then? Was mine different, or was my perception of time altered or something?'

Looking towards the watch on his wrist, Jon frowned realizing that it had broken during his fight with the fire-breathing duck. Glancing towards the time remaining on the System task page, Jon saw that at least two hours had passed since he had begun to integrate his newest Mana Core.

Jon swiftly realized that there were a multitude of System prompts waiting for him, allowing the first to appear before him.

"Wood" Mana Core successfully integrated.

"Knowledge" Mana Core detected. First Mana Core detected.

"Wood" Mana Core detected. Second Mana Core detected.

Spiritual energy has reached the maximum threshold for the First Initiation.

Increasing Tier from First Initiation to Second Initiation.

Increasing maximum spiritual energy capacity.

Increasing rate of spiritual energy regeneration.

Increasing compatibility with associated mana.

Congratulations individual! You have taken your first step towards Knighthood!

Jon took a deep breath, letting out a sigh finishing off all the regular System prompts. Blinking, his eyes were drawn to the final panel of translucent text, his expression morphing into one of excitement and curiosity.

You have obtained the Title Fragment, "Pathstrider".

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