Half an hour later, Charlemagne was regretting his latest decision as he sat with his eyes closed, listening to the “instructor” that had come free with the Advanced Meditation Chamber session he had purchased. The rooster, still largely conforming to the physical limitations of his birth species, had been unable to assume a lotus position as requested. Instead, he was roosting quietly on the ground, a strange smell irritating his nostrils as he attempted to stay awake in the dim light of the chamber while also following his teacher’s instructions.

  “All right now, hold that exact position and regulate your breathing. Now let’s relax your shoulders and soften the jaw. Imagine as you inhale that the air moving through you is a soft river that flows from the crown of your head down through your chest and into your belly, carrying away stress and toxins. As you exhale, let your breath carry that stress and toxicity away from you. Good. Let’s do that a few more times. Now, search for the ambient flow of energy through your body, flowing through you like the light from a little candle that lives inside your center. As you inhale feel it brighten, as you exhale feel the light spread out from your core to nourish your body. Feel the ground beneath you as you breathe in and out, and know that you are grounded, supported, and exactly where you need to be in this moment.”

  Charlemagne checked in with his Ember Core, finding that it was exactly the same as the last time he had inspected it. Not one to mince words, he let the instructor know how he felt about the exercise.

  “Bawk!”

  “Well, that kind of language is entirely uncalled for and counterproductive to our mission here,” the System-created instructor, which looked like a sunflower with prehensile roots and too many eyestalks. “Let’s all strive to be our best selves in this space. Remember, we have a limited time together, so let’s try to banish any negativity and promote a positive space where you can thrive. Only barbarians would attempt to find inner peace through conflict, am I right?”

  “Bawk!”

  The instructor, despite not having any sort of humanoid face, managed to look crestfallen after hearing the rooster’s harsh critique of its methods.

  “Well fine. You are the customer, after all. Let’s continue the lesson. Take a moment to center yourself. Feel the weight of your body melt away as you settle into the earth, allowing it to support and nourish you. Let your muscles relax, allow your heartbeat to slow and your breathing to deepen as you enter a state of calm reflection. Now, reach out to the ambient mana and try to affect it. Don’t worry if you can’t make it react at first, this is an extremely difficult skill that takes centuries to master. We’re looking for just the littlest nudge, here.”

  Charlemagne turned his attention outward to the thick cloud of mana that pervaded the meditation chamber. With a flex of his willpower, he seized control of it and pulled it close to him like a blanket. There was a slight resistance at one point, but all it took was a quick mental tug to overcome the mana’s reluctance to move.

  It felt warm and cozy. The rooster, lulled by the comfort and the dim lighting, was well on his way to falling asleep when a pained gurgle startled him back awake.

  “What… did…you do?” the instructor gasped. “No…mana…need…to…live…”

  The rooster watched the other creature struggle for a moment, confused. If it needed mana to live, why didn’t it just keep a layer of mana around it at all times? Then he unwrapped a portion of his mana blanket and created a second, smaller one that enveloped the other creature. It immediately began to look less distressed.

  “Well, that’s…wow. Okay. So, I guess we can move to some of the more advanced exercises. Let’s just skip right past all of the ones involving mana manipulation…you seem to have that down. What about using mana to strengthen your body or heal wounds? Are you proficient with either of those techniques?”

  “Bawk,” Charlemagne replied, blinking sleepily as he fought to stay awake. The Squiggles recognized and rewarded his efforts.

  “Could you demonstrate the strengthening technique? I would like to see how efficiently you can utilize your mana.”

  Charlemagne focused on his Ember Core for a moment, drawing a considerable percentage of his stored mana out of it and forcing it to begin circulating it through his body. His size increased noticeably as the barely-contained power surged through him, augmenting all of his physical attributes. His desire to slumber further retreated as the mana even enhanced his naturally-poor eyesight, giving him night vision that rivaled even the keenest nocturnal hunters. Ambient mana was guided into his body almost reflexively, further shrinking the cozy cocoon of energy that the rooster had wrapped himself in.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Hmmm, it looks like you have only a few deficiencies here,” the instructor said thoughtfully as it examined the rooster’s technique. “It’s really hard for me to see through whatever shielding you have up, but based on the amount of mana you’re channeling and your size increase, it seems that your efficiency is…well…incredible. You must have meditated for years to achieve this level of control, or perhaps consumed a number of priceless cultivation treasures.”

  “Bawk?” Charlemagne asked.

  “Oh, you know, cultivation treasures are things that help you temper your body or soul. They can also provide bonuses to your ability to wield different energies such as mana, radiant, thermo-kinetic, life and death, gravitational, and some of the more esoteric ones as well. Although good luck finding a cultivation treasure that gives you a benefit to understanding space-time or the soul, ha!”

  “Bawk,” the rooster admitted.

  “You haven’t consumed anything like that? Wait, when did your world get the System?”

  “Bawwwk,” Charlemagne answered.

  “You don’t know? How is that even possible? Okay, inner peace, inner peace. Don’t let it get to you.”

  The instructor stopped and somehow managed to give the impression that it was taking deep breaths, despite having no visible way to inhale or exhale.

  “Right, okay. So let’s try it a different way. How long does your species tend to live, in your own terms?”

  “Bawk?”

  “Well…that’s troubling. Maybe we should try again. Were all of your ancestors that you know of born into the System?”

  “Bawk.”

  “The System arrived after you were born? That’s incredible! You’re a first-generation! I’ve never talked to one before. Then that would mean…wait, how many generations of your kind are currently alive? I mean only those who have come after you.”

  “Bawk,” Charlemagne responded confidently.

  “Just one! One! That’s…that’s insane! This is…I can’t…no! That can’t be right! You…I…”

  A strange burning smell filled the meditation chamber. Well, a second strange burning smell, since the aroma of incense hung heavily in the air. The instructor spasmed wildly for a moment, no longer producing any sounds but seeming to lose more and more control over its body with each passing moment.

  Just as Charlemagne decided that it was time to give up on the lesson, there was a strange buzzing sound. The instructor froze mid-flail for a moment before addressing the rooster once again.

  “Well, it seems that we still have some time in our lesson. I can see that you’ve not only mastered mana manipulation but also mana reinforcement. Do you have any other mana-related skills you’d like to discuss or improve?”

  “Bawk,” the rooster answered, confused at what had just happened and ready to move on.

  “Excellent. Now, if you could please lower your defenses for a moment, I will examine this ‘Ember Core’ and see what we can do for you.”

  “Bawwk,” the rooster added.

  “Oh, hmmm. You wish to continue to evolve your Core by adding a new energy type? That is…practically impossible. Weren’t you born with a strong affinity for fire?”

  “Bawwak,” Charlemagne answered cautiously.

  “Ah, yes, being born with Pyro would be a great way to influence a Mana Core to evolve. One or both of your parents must have had a very powerful connection to the concept of primordial fire for that to have happened. Very interesting indeed.”

  The rooster wisely kept silent.

  “So, what type of energy were you hoping to add to your practice? It seems that your Ember Core has incorporated three main energy types: mana, radiant, and thermal. Well, thermal really is just a subset of thermo-kinetic energy. And, of course, even though no one actually masters all the forms of thermo-kinetic energy, they are all part of the same fundamental energy that practitioners like us can tap into. Now, some refer to thermal and kinetic energy as separate from each other, which is fine: everyone needs to follow their own path when it comes to feeling the different flavors of nature. But unless you feel otherwise, we’ll go ahead and keep them connected. That will aid you in understanding the connection between your Core and the cosmos.”

  “Bawk?”

  “Oh, I was asking what type of energy you wanted to explore next,” the instructor answered.

  “Bawk,” the rooster said confidently.

  “I’m not sure what you mean by ‘speed mana’, the other being admitted. “Are you referring to mana that has been combined with another force?”

  As Charlemagne pondered how to respond to the question, the instructor seemed to gain sudden clarity.

  “Ah, I know what you mean! You must have encountered a being with an ‘Inertia Core’ or similarly named Skill, right? Oh yeah, one of your Party members has a Skill called Momentum Core. That’s a really useful Skill, but the Momentum Core is notorious difficult to both obtain and evolve. The Skill falls under the thermo-kinetic energy type and encompasses pretty much the entire sphere of kinetic energy. For someone like you, who has an innate connection with thermal energy, obtaining a Skill like that would be even harder to do than simply evolving a Mana Core into its next stage.”

  “Bawk?”

  “Well, there are a few different evolution paths for a basic Mana Core. It can become a Mystical Core, which is a general upgrade, or an Essence Core, which combines mana with a powerful ideal, or even a Mana Lattice, which distributes mana more evenly throughout the body and grants a number of other benefits,” the instructor answered.

  “Bawk?” the rooster inquired.

  “No, on the whole I think that your Ember Core is stronger than a straight upgrade. But, as I was saying, adding kinetic energy to your repertoire and obtaining an evolution for your Ember Core until you’ve had a chance to complete your…wait, why can’t I talk about that? What level are you?”

  “Bawk,” Charlemagne announced with pride.

  “Only level 49! How are you…how did…that doesn’t even make any sense? What sort of nonsense is this!”

  The rooster waited calmly as the instructor had another fit. In just a few moments, the flailing creature froze before once again regaining its poise.

  “Well, it’s quite impressive that you’ve managed to come so far at such a low level. It doesn’t seem that I have anything to teach you when it comes to the basic techniques, nor is there any way for me to reliably advise you on how to incorporate yet another energy type into the your Ember Core Skill. There is, however, one thing that I think I can show you before we finish up here. But it’s not going to be fun, and it’s certainly not going to be easy.”