For a while, Jake simply basked in the feeling of happiness.
It was a rare kind of peace — quiet, weightless, and gentle. For once, there was no chaos in his thoughts, no echo of pain. Just calm stillness, like ripples fading from a once-turbulent lake.
After some time, he slowly began to calm down completely. The excitement in his chest eased, replaced by composure.
Taking a deep breath, Jake murmured to himself,
"Alright… it's time to check my condition."
He closed his eyes and shifted into a meditative posture. His body relaxed, and his consciousness started to sink inward. The world around him faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat.
He entered a state of deep focus — the familiar flow of the Ethereal Mind Scripture guiding his awareness inward.
As his thoughts quieted, he began to see.
---
Inside his consciousness, a vast inner space unfolded. Jake saw his Soul Sea, once damaged and unstable, now calm and clear. Soft waves of luminous energy moved across it, reflecting like moonlight over tranquil water.
His Soul Core, which had been cracked and dim, now pulsed steadily with radiant light. The faint golden veins that once marked his injuries were gone, replaced by smooth streams of energy circulating through his inner world.
He could feel it — every fragment of his soul was intact. The distortion and pain that had haunted him before had completely vanished.
It wasn't just recovery… it was renewal.
His entire existence felt lighter, stronger, and clearer.
Then his awareness drifted to the center, where glowing runes appeared faintly — the mark of the Ethereal Mind Scripture.
Jake's eyes widened slightly in realization.
"I… reached the third phase," he whispered within his mind.
The moment he understood that, the pieces fell into place.
The third phase of the Scripture was known to deepen the power of thought and sharpen willpower — but somehow, it had gone beyond that.
The technique had healed his soul.
---
Jake frowned, confusion flickering through his mind.
"Wait a minute," he said slowly. "I'm practicing a mind technique… then why did it heal my soul?"
He sat in silence, trying to grasp the answer.
After a moment, a quiet thought surfaced within him.
"Maybe… it gave me immense willpower," he murmured. "And that willpower made my mind stronger… strong enough to affect my soul itself."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. The realization carried a subtle pride — not arrogance, but acknowledgment of growth.
He didn't just heal because of luck. He healed because his will refused to collapse.
Jake opened his eyes slowly. The world felt brighter, clearer — as though even the air moved in harmony with his mind.
His soul was whole.
His spirit was strong.
And the Ethereal Mind Scripture had just revealed a truth far deeper than he had ever imagined.
Jake frowned, a question echoing inside his thoughts.
"My mind realm increased... but why did that heal my soul?"
The idea didn't make sense. The Ethereal Mind Scripture was meant to strengthen thoughts, refine focus, and enhance mental endurance — not repair the essence of existence itself.
Yet, here he was, his soul flawless, his very being renewed.
He closed his eyes once more, diving deeper into reflection.
Then, suddenly, a faint memory flickered — a voice from long ago.
The calm, resonant tone of his teacher echoed in his consciousness.
"Remember, Jake — the mind and the soul are not two separate rivers. They are the current and the source. When one grows stronger, the other finds stability. When one shatters, the other bleeds."
The words resurfaced like light breaking through murky water.
Jake's eyes widened slightly.
"So that's it…" he whispered.
He began to analyze with newfound clarity.
The mind was not just a field of thought; it was the processor, the architect that shaped the flow of will, emotion, and energy. It handled perception — the way one interpreted pain, joy, fear, and purpose.
The soul, however, was the storage — the container of essence, memory, and true consciousness.
They were interlinked systems of existence. The mind decided how one felt, while the soul decided what one became. The moment Jake's mind evolved to a higher phase, its refined consciousness began to produce energy of higher order — purer, more stable, and harmonious.
That refined mental energy didn't just stay in the mental realm; it flowed downward, aligning with his soul frequency. The strengthened will acted like a stabilizing resonance — repairing the damaged structure of his soul by harmonizing its vibration.
In simple terms, his mind realm uplifted his soul's vibration, allowing both to reach equilibrium.
The stronger the mind became, the more perfectly it could command and restructure the soul's energy flow.
Jake understood it now — the Ethereal Mind Scripture didn't heal the soul directly, but the refinement of thought and will had naturally brought the soul back into alignment.
The connection was far deeper than he had imagined.
Mind and soul were two halves of a single truth — one ruled form, the other ruled essence. Together, they maintained the balance of life and consciousness.
As this understanding settled, Jake's earlier confusion dissolved completely. His first doubt had been answered — not by logic alone, but by resonance within.
He slowly exhaled, feeling a lightness spread through his being.
Then his gaze shifted toward the faint, white energy that hovered nearby — once the chaotic force that nearly destroyed him, now quiet and obedient.
He raised his hand slowly, observing.
The energy responded instantly.
As he moved his fingers, the white current swirled and danced in rhythm, following his every gesture.
There was no hostility, no resistance — it flowed as though it recognized him.
Jake watched silently, the reflection of the luminous energy gleaming in his eyes.
That same energy which had once been his enemy now moved like an extension of his will.
For the first time, he realized —
the boundary between him and the world around him had changed.
Jake felt deeply satisfied. The calm inside him was real this time — not fragile or momentary, but firm and steady.
The storm had passed, his soul had healed, and now there was only one thing left — the enemies who had once threatened his existence.
But for the moment, he wasn't afraid. He had strength now, and understanding.
Still, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute…" he murmured. "Back then… during the last flashback, I gained two techniques — the Ethereal Mind Scripture and another one… Life of Memories."
His brows tightened slightly.
"I practiced the first one… but not the second. Maybe I should try it now — even if only halfway."
He sat down again, adjusting his posture carefully. His breathing slowed. The still air around him seemed to shift, filled with a quiet anticipation.
Jake formed the precise hand seals as he remembered from that long-ago moment.
The Life of Memories — a mysterious art said to awaken fragments of hidden time and consciousness.
He took a slow breath and began to circulate his energy, guiding it through the paths of the new technique.
Seconds passed…
A minute…
Five minutes…
Ten minutes…
Half an hour…
Finally, Jake exhaled and opened his eyes.
"…Why isn't it working?" he muttered softly, frowning. "Did I miss something?"
Confusion clouded his expression again. The technique felt incomplete, as though something essential was missing from its structure. No reaction, no vision, no energy flow.
He leaned back slightly, thinking.
What Jake didn't realize… was that during his earlier practice of the Ethereal Mind Scripture's third phase, then the Life of Memories technique had already activated automatically — deep within him.
When he had lost consciousness back then and glimpsed countless worlds — the endless landscapes of existence and that mysterious entity who had given him new life — it was the Life of Memories partially awakening on its own.
That half-activation had shown him those scenes, connecting fragments of realities he wasn't yet meant to understand. But the Ethereal Mind Scripture had stabilized him at the same time, preventing his soul from being torn apart by the overload of memory and space.
Perhaps, someday in the future, Jake would uncover the full truth — the hidden connection between those two techniques, and the secret buried within the Life of Memories.
For now, the curtain remained closed.
Jake sat quietly, unaware that the path he had chosen would one day lead him to the truth of that moment — and to the origin of the power that had rewritten his fate.