Location: Starforge Nexus - Pavilion Recovery Room | Luminari Artifact Dimensional Fold
Time: Post-Unsealing (Seven Days External / Six Weeks Internal Training Complete
Wake up.
The thought surfaced slowly, dragging consciousness behind it like dead weight.
Systems check. Vitals. Orientation. Threat assessment.
Jayde's eyes opened.
Golden text exploded across her vision.
[FIRST LOCK: OPENED]
[INITIATING SYNCHRONIZATION...]
[DIVINE TOME INTEGRATION: ACTIVE]
[WARNING: NEURAL ADAPTATION IN PROGRESS]
[CRUCIBLE CORE STATUS: STABLE]
[ESSENCE ACCESS: INFERNO - ONLINE]
The words blazed like fire against the inside of her eyelids—no, not her eyelids. Inside her mind. Carved directly into her consciousness in letters that pulsed with golden light and made her skull feel three sizes too small.
(What—what's happening? Why can't I see?)
Interface overlay. System integration. The Tome is—
Another cascade of text scrolled past:
[KNOWLEDGE DATABASE: ACCESSIBLE]
[CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES: 847 ENTRIES]
[SPELL FORMULAS: 2,341 ENTRIES]
[WORLD HISTORY: 67,892 ENTRIES]
[SKILL LIBRARY: LOCKED - REQUIRES SACRIFICE]
[INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 12%]
"Contractor!" Isha's voice cut through the golden haze. "Jayde, can you hear me?"
She tried to speak. Her mouth wouldn't cooperate. The text kept scrolling, faster now, information pouring into her brain like molten metal into a mold.
Too fast. System overload. Neural pathways can't process—
Hands gripped her shoulders. Warm. Real. Something solid to anchor to while her mind drowned in golden fire.
"Breathe," Isha commanded. His voice was closer now, urgent. "Focus on my voice. Ignore the text. Just breathe."
Jayde sucked in air. It tasted like ozone and ash. The recovery room crystallized around her—silver walls, soft lighting, the medicinal bath still steaming in the corner. And Isha's emerald eyes, wide with something that looked suspiciously like fear.
The text stuttered. Slowed.
[NEURAL ADAPTATION: 23% COMPLETE]
[REDUCING INFORMATION FLOW]
[SYNCHRONIZATION STABLE]
"There," Isha breathed. His tail was lashing. "Stay with us. Don't try to read everything. The Tome is—" He cut himself off, ears flattening. "This shouldn't be happening."
"What—" Jayde's voice came out hoarse. "What's wrong?"
"Everything." That was Green's voice, sharp and tight. The petite instructor appeared beside Isha, her fractured emerald eyes wide. "The Divine Tome is integrated with your Crucible Core. Not just bonded. Not merely connected. Integrated. As in, part of your living essence."
Part of my core?
(How is that even possible?)
[QUERY DETECTED]
[ACCESSING HISTORICAL RECORDS...]
[DIVINE-ERA ARTIFACT INTEGRATION: 0.0001% SUCCESS RATE]
[CAUSE OF INTEGRATION: SOUL MERGER EVENT + CRUCIBLE CORE UNSEALING + TOME ACTIVATION = UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS]
The information slammed into her mind. Not words—knowledge. Direct understanding that bypassed language entirely. She suddenly knew that Luminari artifacts were never meant to merge with living beings. That the Divine Tome had been designed as external tool, separate from its user. That what had happened during the library explosion—three catastrophic events occurring simultaneously—had created conditions so unique, so impossible, that the Tome had been forced to adapt or be destroyed.
It had chosen to merge.
And now it was part of her.
"How?" Green demanded. She was pacing, movements sharp and agitated. "Luminari artifacts maintain dimensional separation specifically to prevent this. The Tome should be accessible, not integrated. This is—" She gestured helplessly. "—divine-era magic that we don't understand. That nobody understands anymore."
"Is it dangerous?" Isha's grip on Jayde's shoulders tightened fractionally. "Will it harm her?"
[DANGER ASSESSMENT: MODERATE]
[INTEGRATION STRAIN: SIGNIFICANT]
[MENTAL OVERLOAD RISK: HIGH]
[PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES: NOSEBLEEDS, MIGRAINES, TEMPORARY SENSORY DISRUPTION]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONTROLLED ACCESS ONLY]
"It says—" Jayde blinked, trying to focus past the text. "It says moderate danger. Integration strain is significant. I shouldn't access too much information too quickly or—"
Blood dripped onto her lap.
Hot. Wet. Copper tang filling her mouth.
Jayde touched her upper lip. Her fingers came away crimson.
"—or that happens," she finished weakly.
Green swore in a language Jayde didn't recognize. She grabbed a cloth from somewhere, pressed it to Jayde's nose. "Knowledge without wisdom destroys," she said, voice tight. "The Tome holds millennia of accumulated information. Your human brain isn't designed to process that volume. You must learn to pace yourself. Small queries. Specific questions. Never broad searches."
Noted. Query protocols: narrow, targeted, limited scope.
(It hurts. Why does knowing things hurt?)
"Let me see the interface," Isha said. His voice had shifted to clinical assessment mode. "Can you share your vision with me?"
Jayde nodded carefully. The Tome responded before she could figure out how—
[SHARING VISUAL INTERFACE WITH: ARTIFACT ADMINISTRATOR ISHA]
Isha's eyes widened. His ears swiveled forward. "By the Luminari's light," he breathed. "It's beautiful. And terrifying."
Green moved closer, squinting at something Jayde couldn't see. "Show me the skill library section. The locked abilities."
The interface shifted. Jayde watched—felt—the Tome respond to Green's request like it was her own thought:
[SKILL LIBRARY: LOCKED ABILITIES]
[UNLOCK REQUIREMENT: SACRIFICE]
[AVAILABLE SKILLS: 1,247]
[FILTER BY: ESSENCE / DIFFICULTY / COST]
"Sacrifice," Green murmured. Her expression had gone very still. "Show her. Show her what cultivation actually costs."
(Wait—what do you mean, what it costs?)
I have a feeling we're about to learn something unpleasant.
The Tome answered the unspoken question. Information poured in—not text this time, but understanding. Direct knowledge that bypassed her conscious mind and burned itself into her neurons like brands.
The Emberforge Path.
Doha's cultivation system.
The truth nobody told Voidforge children because they'd never need to know.
Every advancement requires sacrifice.
Not metaphorical sacrifice. Not "work hard" or "dedicate yourself" or "train diligently."
Literal sacrifice.
To advance through cultivation tiers, you had to burn pieces of yourself. Aspects of your being, consumed in the Crucible Core's forge, transformed into Ember Qi and raw power.
[EMBERFORGE PATH: TIER ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS]
Ashborn → Sparkforged:
Sacrifice: Minor emotion (irritation, mild joy)
Result: Foundation strengthened, first essence channel opened
Sparkforged → Flamewrought:
Sacrifice: Significant memory (specific childhood experience)
Result: Crucible Core expanded, second essence channel opened
Flamewrought → Inferno-tempered:
Sacrifice: Deep emotion (grief, rage, love)
Result: Core tempered, meridian network enhanced
Inferno-tempered → Blazecrowned:
Sacrifice: Core memory (formative experience defining personality)
Result: Essence mastery achieved, cultivation speed increased
And it went on. Higher tiers. Greater costs. Apexblight required burning pieces of your soul. Eternalpyre demanded sacrificing fundamental aspects of identity itself.
But it wasn't just advancement.
Even basic cultivation—drawing ambient Ember Qi from the environment, refining it in your core—required burning Aspects. Emotions you'd never feel again. Memories you'd forget forever. Physical vitality that would leave permanent scars.
That's why cultivators are so cold. So ruthless. So inhuman.
Because humanity is literally the price of power.
(That's horrible,) Jade whispered in the back of their shared mind. (That's... that's monstrous.)
"Give me a specific example," Jayde heard herself say. Her voice sounded distant. Wrong. "Show me what I'd have to sacrifice. Right now. To advance one tier."
Green's expression shifted to something almost like pity. "Are you certain you want to—"
"Show me."
The Tome obeyed.
[CURRENT STATUS: VOIDFORGE (FIRST LOCK OPENED - INFERNO ACCESS GRANTED)]
[NEXT TIER: ASHBORN]
[ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENT CALCULATED...]
To advance from Voidforge to Ashborn tier:
Sacrifice Required: One cherished memory
Recommended Options:
- Memory of mother's final smile before execution
- Memory of Old Man Zhek's protective presence
- Memory of first moment feeling safe in Federation
Warning: Memory will be permanently erased. Emotional context will fade. You will know intellectually that the event occurred, but will never again feel its warmth.
The recovery room went very quiet.
Jayde stared at the golden text. At the casual cruelty of it. Choose which warmth you want to lose forever. Pick which comfort you can live without.
Her mother's smile. The only soft memory she had of Shyenho before everything went wrong.
Zhek's protection. Ten years of small kindnesses in the slave pits that had kept her human.
That first moment of safety with the Centauri. The feeling of finally being among people who wouldn't hurt her.
Pick one. Burn it. Become strong enough to not die immediately.
(I can't.) Jade's voice was small. Broken. (I can't lose those. They're all I have left that's good.)
If we don't advance, we'll die anyway. Za'thul is hunting us. The Freehold Clan wants us dead. We need power.
(Not like this. Please, not like this.)
"I can't do this," Jayde said out loud. The words tasted like ash. "I won't do this."
Green's expression didn't change. She'd clearly expected this reaction. "Every cultivator faces this choice," she said softly. "Power or humanity. Strength or soul. Most choose power."
"The Federation trained me to sacrifice," Jayde said. Her hands were shaking. She clenched them into fists. "We sacrificed ourselves for others. To protect people weaker than us. To build something better than what we had."
She looked up, met Green's fractured emerald eyes.
"This system asks me to sacrifice myself for myself. To burn away everything that makes me human just to become strong enough to survive. That's not cultivation. That's—"
Cannibalism. Spiritual self-consumption.
"—monstrous," Jayde finished.
(You won't do it, will you?) Jade asked. Her voice was trembling with hope. With desperate need to believe that their shared body wouldn't become another hollow cultivator. (You'll find another way?)
I...
Jayde didn't know what to say.
Because the Tome was already showing her the alternative:
[REJECTION OF EMBERFORGE PATH DETECTED]
[ALTERNATE OPTIONS: CALCULATING...]
[WARNING: NON-STANDARD CULTIVATION EXTREMELY DANGEROUS]
[WARNING: MORTALITY RATE EXCEEDS 99%]
[WARNING: THOSE WHO REFUSE TO SACRIFICE DIE WEAK]
"There has to be another way," Jayde said. The words felt hollow even as she spoke them. "I won't become a monster just to get power. I'll find an ethical path. I'll—"
"That's what they all say." Green's voice was unbearably sad. "At first."
She reached out, touched Jayde's shoulder gently.
"The Emberforge Path doesn't care about ethics. Doha doesn't care about morality. The Freehold Clan hunting you certainly doesn't care about your philosophical objections." Green's fractured eyes held something ancient. Tired. "You have two choices: sacrifice and survive, or refuse and die. Those are the only options this world offers."
Isha's tail had gone completely still. "There might be—" He hesitated. "The Tome is unprecedented. Your dual soul is unprecedented. The integration itself is unprecedented. Perhaps... perhaps there's a third path that hasn't been walked before."
[QUERY: ALTERNATE CULTIVATION PATHS]
[SEARCHING HISTORICAL RECORDS...]
[WARNING: INFORMATION OVERLOAD IMMINENT]
Pain exploded behind Jayde's eyes.
White-hot. Searing. Like someone was carving the inside of her skull with molten wire.
She felt Isha catch her before she registered falling. His arms were solid. Real. The only anchor point while her brain tried to process ten thousand years of accumulated knowledge about cultivation paths that might—might—offer alternatives to self-cannibalization.
"Stop," Isha commanded. "End the query. Now."
The Tome hesitated—actually hesitated—like it was torn between obeying the direct command and finishing the information transfer.
[QUERY TERMINATED]
[PARTIAL RESULTS CACHED]
[NEURAL STRESS: CRITICAL]
[RECOMMENDATION: TWELVE HOURS REST MINIMUM]
Blood dripped from Jayde's nose again. And her ears this time. Hot tracks down her jaw.
Green was swearing steadily, pressing fresh cloths to Jayde's face. "Idiot girl. Never query historical records without limiting the scope. You nearly fried your brain."
"But—" Jayde's voice came out slurred. "Did it find anything? Alternative paths?"
The Tome answered weakly:
[PARTIAL RESULTS: 17 THEORETICAL ALTERNATE PATHS IDENTIFIED]
[SUCCESS RATE: 0.003% ACROSS ALL ATTEMPTS]
[MORTALITY RATE: 99.997%]
[MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH: ASH HOLLOW TRANSFORMATION]
Ash Hollow.
The Tome helpfully provided a definition—survivors of failed cultivation, their Aspects burned away but power never gained, left as hollow shells. Breathing. Walking. Technically alive.
But empty.
Soulless.
Less than human.
"Twelve hours rest," Isha said firmly. His voice was shaking. "And then we discuss this properly. With protocols in place. Safety measures. Query limitations."
He lifted Jayde carefully—startling, that—and carried her toward the recovery bed. Through the haze of pain and blood and golden text still scrolling warnings, Jayde felt the soft mattress beneath her back.
(It's going to be okay,) Jade whispered. Not to Jayde. To herself. A child's desperate hope. (We'll find a way. We always find a way.)
Maybe.
Jayde closed her eyes. The golden text faded slowly.
But Green's words echoed in the darkness:
"That's what they all say. At first."
And Jayde couldn't help but wonder—would she say something different?
Or would Doha grind her down like everyone else, until burning away pieces of her soul seemed like an acceptable price for survival?
[INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 12%]
[REST RECOMMENDED]
[SEVEN LOCKS REMAIN]
The text faded completely.
And Jayde drifted into uneasy sleep, wondering what she'd have to sacrifice before this was over.
Everything, the darkness whispered back.
Everyone always does.