The situation throughout the Birthground wasn’t much better than Damon’s.
In fact, for most people, it was worse.
Many of the awakened had entered with excitement, convinced they would leave with powerful spirit contracts and stories to tell.
Reality had been far less generous.
Deep within the storm-covered lands, groups moved carefully under the protection of guides and elders.
Lightning crashed constantly around them.
The deeper they went, the more violent the environment became.
Thunder rolled endlessly across the sky.
The air itself seemed alive with electricity.
For the lightning users, every step forward came with hope.
Maybe the next spirit elemental would choose them.
Maybe their opportunity was just around the corner.
Unfortunately, spirit elementals didn’t seem to share their enthusiasm.
One young man nearly cried when he finally encountered a Thunder Hawk.
The massive bird descended from the sky in a shower of lightning, its wings spreading proudly as electricity danced around its feathers.
The youth immediately bowed.
"I am willing to form a contract!"
The Thunder Hawk stared at him.
Then turned around.
And flew away.
Just like that.
The boy stood frozen.
His guide looked away to hide a smile.
Elsewhere, another awakening talent encountered a Lightning Wolf.
The spirit beast circled him twice.
Sniffed him.
Then walked past him as if he didn’t exist.
The young man nearly exploded.
"What was wrong with me?"
His guide shrugged.
"The wolf apparently found several things."
That answer didn’t help.
By now, frustration was beginning to spread throughout the Birthground.
Some blamed their luck.
Others blamed their guides.
One particularly angry noble pointed at his escort.
"You said this area had many spirit elementals!"
The guide nodded calmly.
"It does."
"Then why am I finding nothing?"
"Because they don’t like you."
The noble almost choked.
Meanwhile, Kane’s experience was completely different.
The moment he entered the deeper regions alongside the senior butler, things started going his way.
Kane released his purple lightning.
Crackling arcs spread around him.
The response came almost immediately.
A streak of lightning shot down from the sky.
Then another.
Before finally gathering into a single shape.
A spirit elemental.
It resembled a large feline formed entirely from lightning.
Its body flickered between solid and energy.
Purple eyes stared directly at Kane.
The meaning was obvious.
It had chosen him.
Kane felt his heart race.
The feeling was difficult to describe.
A proud lightning spirit had approached him willingly.
It acknowledged him.
Accepted him.
For a brief moment, he was tempted.
Very tempted.
But the senior butler calmly stepped forward.
"Young Master."
Kane looked over.
The old man smiled.
"You can do better."
Kane hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
The family had promised stronger spirit elementals deeper inside.
He couldn’t waste his chance now.
Turning toward the spirit beast, he bowed slightly.
"My apologies."
The feline spirit tilted its head.
Almost like it understood.
Then it glanced at him one last time.
There was no anger.
Only curiosity.
As if reminding him that it would still be around if he changed his mind.
Then its body dissolved into countless sparks.
A second later, it vanished into the storm.
Gone completely.
Kane couldn’t even sense where it had gone.
Spirit elementals truly were strange creatures.
Still, the encounter left him excited.
More excited than ever.
If even spirits were seeking him out, what did that say about his talent?
His confidence rose even higher.
"Let’s continue."
The senior butler nodded.
Together, they moved deeper into the Birthground.
Back in the outer regions, Damon had no idea any of this was happening.
After resting beneath the stone shelter, he finally stood up.
His legs felt better.
His motivation had returned slightly.
Not completely.
But enough.
At this point, he wasn’t expecting miracles anymore.
Finding a spirit elemental felt unlikely.
Surviving the Birthground seemed far more realistic.
Still.
He couldn’t leave without trying.
So he continued exploring.
One step at a time.
Carefully avoiding lightning strikes.
Watching for anything unusual.
Then suddenly—
He stopped.
"Hm?"
Something felt strange.
Damon looked around.
Nothing.
Just rocks.
Blackened earth.
A few small plants.
The same scenery he had been staring at for hours.
Yet the feeling remained.
A faint pull.
Almost like something was calling him.
He frowned.
The sensation wasn’t coming from outside.
It was coming from inside his body.
More specifically...
From the strange core-like structure he had discovered while cultivating.
The mysterious second core.
The one that shouldn’t exist.
The faint pull appeared again.
Stronger this time.
Damon followed the feeling.
One step.
Then another.
Eventually, his eyes landed on something half buried between two rocks.
A tiny sphere.
No bigger than a marble.
Tiny arcs of lightning occasionally flickered across its surface.
It looked completely insignificant.
Easy to overlook.
In fact, Damon was certain he would have walked past it normally.
Yet the moment he looked at it, the strange core inside him reacted.
A faint pulse.
Then another.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Damon slowly crouched down.
The closer he got, the stronger the resonance became.
His eyes widened slightly.
"What’s this?"
Then memories surfaced.
Theory lessons.
Ancient records.
Half-forgotten lectures.
A name appeared in his mind.
Core Spirit.
Or more accurately...
A dormant Core Spirit.
Scholars believed spirit elementals went through stages of growth.
The best-known stage was the bestial form.
The stage where contracts could be formed.
But before that...
There was supposedly another stage.
A dormant state.
A seed.
An incomplete existence.
Most people considered them failures.
Spirits that never matured.
Spirits that couldn’t absorb enough elemental essence.
Dead ends.
Over time, many scholars dismissed them entirely.
After all, nobody had ever found a use for them.
Yet as Damon stared at the tiny sphere, he couldn’t agree.
Because the thing inside him was reacting.
Strongly.
The small spark suddenly lit up.
A faint flash of lightning appeared across its surface.
At the exact same moment, the mysterious second core inside Damon pulsed again.
The response was immediate.
Like two things recognizing each other.
Damon’s heartbeat quickened.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt genuinely curious.
Not excited.
Not hopeful.
Just curious.
"What exactly are you?"
The tiny spark dimmed again.
But the connection remained.
Damon carefully picked it up.
The moment it touched his hand, warmth spread through his palm.
Not heat.
Recognition.
A feeling that was difficult to describe.
Like finding a missing puzzle piece without knowing where it belonged.
His expression slowly changed.
Questions filled his mind.
What was the second core?
Why was it reacting?
What was this dormant spirit really?
He had no answers.
But one thing was certain.
He couldn’t leave it behind.
Maybe it was useless.
Maybe everyone else was right.
Maybe it truly was a failed spirit.
Damon looked at the tiny spark resting in his palm.
Then smiled.
"Well."
"I’ve been called worse."
The spark flickered weakly.
As if responding.
Damon chuckled.
Then carefully stored it away.
The Birthground was going to close soon.
He still hadn’t found any great treasure.
He hadn’t contracted a powerful spirit.
But somehow...
He felt like he had found something important.
Something nobody else would have bothered picking up.
And for some reason...
That feeling wouldn’t leave him.
A/N:
Please stick with me as we go into the fun part of the story! If you’ve read so far.. please Add to library, send Comments and Reviews. Also send Powerstones 🙏🏾