Is That A Wisp?

Fura then touched her head while thinking about what Heavin mentioned.

"That... makes sense."

Heavin nodded and then asked.

"It seems like we cut the process in the middle, but it doesn't change the fact that you already obtain some of the knowledge—for example, the way to use Mental Energy. Hell, you even surpassed me, the creator. Oh, right. I'm not the creator anymore."

Heavin's expression then turned solemn as he continued.

"If I'm not wrong, a trap was left behind to lock whoever comes to this place. It would then be used as a way of getting 'help.' That's why you got sealed while the Black Sphere transformed you into that 'help.' Fura, other than the knowledge about the Soul Cultivation Technique and the way to fuse the elements, are there any additional memories? To be more specific, any knowledge about what you were supposed to do?"

Fura closed her eyes and began to think. After some time, she finally opened it again.

"The Core Region. I can't tell what I was supposed to do there, but it was inside the Core Region."

Heavin and Liriu nodded.

"So that's how it is. The key to this event is definitely inside there."

Liriu then asked something else.

"But why did it happen right now? Is it because of the changes in the Soren Ruins?"

"Probably. At the very least, we haven't heard about a situation like this before. Well, maybe we just didn't ask the right people."

Fura shook her head in response.

"No, this definitely hasn't happened before. Unlike you two, I did a thorough investigation on the Soren Ruins before entering it. Even if this place didn't act like this, I would still come inside. I can almost guarantee that no one passed through what I did."

Heavin didn't find it hard to believe.

"I see..."

Heavin then pondered about the time of the things as they went.

"The Soren Ruins began to act like this around 11 years ago, right?

Fura nodded and waited for Heavin to continue. However, Heavin went silent after that. It was obvious that he was thinking about something.

'It's definitely not a coincidence. The Godly Path Realm's time goes ten times faster. Krune opened that chamber in the Kalame Sect around one year before he departed from there. Obviously, more than ten years have passed here. I don't know how, but it was his action in the Godly Path Realm that awakened the ruins.'

Heavin then took his Dark Water again and looked at it as it tried to enter the Black Sphere.

'What happens to the Dark Water that enters this thing? Is it some exchange device? The more it receives, the more knowledge it will give. However, the Black Sphere itself didn't change in size after the Dark Water entered it. Where did it go? Was it the Core Region?'

Obviously, Heavin wouldn't talk about what happened to Krune with Fura without Krune's permission. In the end, he asked something else to Fura.

"Fura? Would you pass the Cultivation Technique forward?"

Fura found that question weird.

"Why are you asking for it?"

"Don't misunderstand my intentions. With this Black Sphere, I don't really need you to tell me how you cultivated. I'm not asking it for myself. What I'm talking about is if you are going to give it to someone else."

Heavin then continued.

"I believe you yourself know very well just how frightening this technique is. If others find out about it, you will probably be doomed unless you decide to spread it everywhere. I made sure to keep this technique hidden until now, but you are not part of my group. I don't know what you intend to do with it. However, your decision will have a great repercussion on my side."

Fura pondered for a bit and understood from where Heavin was coming from.

"I know that this is a dangerous technique. I still don't know how it will affect me after all the time I spent inside that crystal sphere. For now, I would not pass it ahead since I don't know if others might get involved in some way by the creator of this thing."

Heavin nodded and said in response.

"That's true. Different from me, who created this technique on my own, you received it from someone else. This memory manipulation might be part of the technique itself. Alright, then. That's all I wanted to know. Let me just give you a piece of advice. If you really intend to give it to someone else in the future, make sure you trust them to not spread it around."

Fura nodded.

"Obviously."

Liriu then took the chance to ask Heavin with a Divine Sense Message.

'Now that you have this Black Sphere, you can study it and develop your own Soul Cultivation Technique's 6th Realm. That's why we came here, no? That being said, are you going back now?'

Heavin had to admit that Liriu was right. However, after pondering a bit, Heavin shook his head.

'No. I want to go to the Core Region to confirm some things.'

'Confirm some things? What things exactly?'

Heavin then explained.

'We don't know if this Black Sphere is the only one. Chances are that places like this activated or appeared all over Soren Ruins. Some might have been caught by it for even longer than Fura. I want to know what is inside the Core Region that needed to use such a way of getting reinforcements.'

'Besides, there's also the Elements Regulation Technique that Krune, Senior Lucio, and Senior Lani use. From the looks of it, their technique is also involved with it. If there's something good, I would like to give it to them after all the help they gave us.'

Liriu pondered for a bit and nodded in the end.

'Very well, then let's go to the Core Region.'

Heavin and Liriu turned in Fura's direction.

"Alright, we're leaving now. Since you know the Soren Ruins better than us, you can definitely leave on your own. May we meet again in the future, Senior Fura."

Fura was taken aback by those words. She was still vigilant all this time, afraid that the two would try something. 

"Are you going to leave me just like that? You still have the advantage in Mental Energy and attack power, you know?"

Liriu shook his head.

"We aren't the same as others."

Heavin let out a chuckle in response to Liriu's words before saying.

"We have been contaminated by a certain wisp who hates killing. I guess we are helpless here."

Liriu heard that and laughed as well.

"If Uncle Krune heard that, it would definitely hurt him."

Heavin agreed with him. After that, the two turned around and prepared to leave. Heavin had no intention of asking Fura to come together. After all, she already got a great harvest if one considered her current power. All she needed to do is to get used to it. Asking her to go through more unnecessary danger is not something they wanted to do. 

Fura looked as the two disappeared through the door and left a few moments later. Finally, she reappeared outside the building and recognized that she was still in the same place as in the past.

Her Mental Energy then saw Heavin and Liriu flying in the Core Region as she looked at the exit side. Sure enough, she also thought she already got a good harvest with this trip. If she went out now and trained well, these new techniques she got can most likely guarantee her safe ascension.

'Well, they got the Black Sphere in exchange for saving me, so I don't own them anything anymore.'

With that, she drove her Spiritual and Mental Energy as she rushed in the direction of the exit.

However...

Her speed began to drop more and more when all of a sudden, she scratched her head in rage.

"Ah, for fuck's sake!"

Immediately, she spread her Mental Energy and contacted Liriu and Heavin, who were about to disappear in the distance.

'Wait!'

The duo heard that Mental Energy message and stopped in their tracks. A few moments later, Fura caught up to the two, but to their confusion.

"Did you forget something?"

Fura nodded.

"I'm going with you two."

Heavin and Liriu became puzzled.

"Why would you do that? You do know that your memories got somewhat messed up, right? Although I believe we did save you in time, there is still a chance that something will happen to your mind once we go there. If you are doing it to get the Black Sphere back, you better give up the idea."

Fura shook her head.

"I don't need the Black Sphere. I'm going there because I want to see what is happening as well, that's all."

Well, that was a lie. Fura just felt like she still owned Liriu and Heavin. Sure, they took the Black Sphere. However, they didn't try to kill her when they had the chance. They also made her realize how close she was to becoming a puppet herself. Fura was feeling quite annoyed because she was wrong about them.

However, Liriu shook his head.

"Even if that's the case, it's not like we trust you. Why should we let you come with us? What if you suddenly attack us from behind during a dangerous moment?"

"This..."

Fura wanted to curse Heavin, but she couldn't since she realized that she would have the same thoughts as Heavin. Indeed, why should they believe her? It's not like she trusted them completely either.

"Forget what I said, I'll leave now. Have a safe jour-"

"Alright, you can come."

Fura's face almost hit the ground after hearing that. Luckily, she was floating in outer space.

'Didn't you just say you don't trust me, hey?!'

Liriu then looked at Heavin and laughed.

"Is that another side effect of the Wisp Contamination?"

Heavin shrugged his shoulders as he said.

"Pretty much."