Thunder echoed through the canyon. Dust rained from the shattered cliffs as Daniel plummeted into darkness. Lightning burst instinctively from his palms, slowing his fall by searing holes into the rocky wall. He landed hard on a ledge, pain lancing up his ribs.
For a moment, all he heard was his heartbeat. Then came the Codex's calm whisper:
> [Vital functions stable. Minor fractures. Cellular repair advised.]
Daniel groaned, forcing himself upright. "Still alive. Guess that's something."
Above, the sounds of battle had faded — the caravan far above, Mira's voice lost to the storm.
The ravine stretched deep beneath the earth, glowing faintly with veins of brown and gold essence that pulsed like living roots. Fragments of shattered stone from the bandit leader's crystal littered the ground, each humming softly with power.
Daniel picked one up. It vibrated in his hand, warm and dense.
> [Substance confirmed: Elemental Stone — Earth Variant. Composed of condensed world essence. Used by cultivators to amplify elemental resonance.]
He turned the shard over in his palm. "So that's what they were after."
> [Correction: what was driving them. Energy signature indicates possession effect. The leader was partially consumed by the stone's resonance.]
Daniel's jaw tightened. "So it wasn't greed. It was corruption."
He pocketed the shard and began climbing upward, muscles burning. Halfway up, the wall shuddered. Something massive stirred below.
> [Essence fluctuation detected. Warning: subterranean lifeform approaching.]
From the depths rose a creature unlike any he'd seen — a Stoneback Mauler, its body fused with jagged mineral scales, molten light leaking through cracks in its hide. It roared, shaking the cavern.
Daniel gritted his teeth. "Guess rest will have to wait."
He steadied his breathing and let the lightning hum through his veins — not to unleash it wildly, but to coat his body, strengthening his tendons and nerves.
The Mauler lunged. Daniel sidestepped, slamming his palm into its jaw. Sparks exploded across its body, charring through stone. The beast staggered but swung its tail, clipping his shoulder and sending him skidding against the rock.
Pain flared white.
> [Suggestion: divert lightning through the wound. Stimulate recovery.]
Daniel obeyed. Lightning danced under his skin, knitting flesh just enough to move. He dashed forward again — faster this time. The world narrowed to breath and motion.
He leapt, planting his feet against the wall, and launched himself toward the creature's back. Both hands glowed white-blue as he slammed them down into the molten crack between its shoulder plates.
"Break!"
The Mauler screamed — a sound like mountains splitting. Light burst from its body as the lightning tore through its essence lines, overloading the stone's natural balance. With one last tremor, it collapsed, its body cooling into cracked gray rock.
Daniel stood amidst the dust, panting, his fists smoking.
> [Victory confirmed. Essence available for absorption.]
A faint orb of golden light rose from the creature's chest — its spirit core. Daniel hesitated, then reached out. The Codex's circuits flared across his veins.
> [Assimilating elemental data… establishing secondary essence conduit. Lightning affinity remains dominant.]
He felt the rush of grounded strength course through him — not lightning's wild freedom, but earth's unwavering solidity. For a heartbeat, both elements resonated together before settling.
> [Host's essence capacity increased by 12%.]
Daniel exhaled slowly. "Even the earth has rhythm," he murmured. "It just moves slower."
He rested a moment, then looked up at the crack of light far above. "Time to climb."
---
It took hours to reach the surface. When he finally pulled himself over the edge, the sky was pale with dawn. Smoke still curled from the wrecked wagons.
Bodies lay scattered — both guards and bandits. The air reeked of burnt essence.
Mira was kneeling beside a wounded merchant, wrapping his arm. Her cloak was torn, and blood streaked her cheek, but her eyes widened with relief when she saw him.
"Daniel!" she shouted, running over. "You're alive!"
He nodded wearily. "Barely."
She punched his shoulder lightly. "Don't do that again."
"I'll try."
Varron, the caravan leader, limped toward them. "We lost three wagons and half our goods. But you two… saved what's left."
Daniel shook his head. "Not me. The enemy was being controlled — by these."
He tossed the Elemental Stone at Varron's feet. The man frowned, bending to inspect it. "Earth energy… too dense to be natural. No wonder they fought like demons."
Mira's gaze flickered to Daniel. "Where did you get that?"
"From their leader," Daniel said. "It was lodged in his chest. The Cod—" He caught himself. "—My instincts told me it wasn't normal."
Varron sighed. "We'll sell what we can salvage at the next city — Stormveil Crossing. It sits beside the Storm Cradle. You can rest and trade there."
"Stormveil Crossing…" Daniel repeated. His mark pulsed faintly under his shirt, lightning whispering in response.
Mira noticed. "You felt it too, didn't you?"
He nodded slowly. "The storm's calling."
She smirked. "Then we'll answer it. But first, food."
---
That night, the survivors made camp in the shadow of the cliffs. The flames danced orange against the stone as they ate in silence.
Daniel sat apart, turning the Elemental Stone in his palm. The Codex pulsed faintly.
> [Advisory: this world's ambient essence density is insufficient to sustain advanced realms. Cultivation threshold detected — Core Forging is the limit before soul instability occurs.]
"So the Twin Moon World really can't go higher…" he murmured.
> [Correction: cannot, yet. However, anomalies such as the Storm Cradle may contain ancient ley nodes capable of bypassing the limitation.]
Daniel smiled faintly. "Then that's where we go next."
The thunder rumbled faintly in the distance — soft, like the promise of a storm waiting to wake.
Mira's voice drifted over the fire. "You're thinking again."
He looked up. "Always."
She smiled, faint but genuine. "Good. The world needs thinkers who can fight."
He chuckled quietly. "And thieves who can stab?"
She tossed a pebble at him. "Especially those."
The laughter faded into quiet comfort. For the first time since leaving his village, Daniel felt something like peace — fragile, fleeting, but real.
Above them, lightning flickered across the horizon, illuminating the faint outline of distant peaks.
Ashira Mountain lay beyond them.
And somewhere near its base, the Storm Cradle waited — rumbling with forgotten power.