Aksai sat cross-legged under the towering demon tree, its dark red trunk and gray leaves casting a surreal shadow over him.
Eyes closed, he took deep, controlled breaths, centering his mind and spirit.
[Automated Mudra-casting has been activated]
He began performing the intricate Mudra, a complicated series of hand signs that manifested one Essence Equation after another.
His hands moved swiftly, each gesture precise and deliberate. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, evidence of the immense concentration and energy the technique required.
[The first step of the Anahat Soul Splitting Technique has been completed. Soul Manifestation has been summoned successfully]
As Aksai continued, a phantom image of a human shadow appeared behind him. This shadow was pitch black as if Aksai’s two-dimensional shadow had been given a three-dimensional form.
“First… The first step… completed. Haah!”
Aksai’s face tensed with effort as he started chanting the cryptic mantras outlined in the Anahat Soul Splitting Technique. His voice was low and steady, the words flowing in a rhythmic cadence. Each syllable seemed to pull more Spirit Essence from within him, the energy swirling around him in visible currents.
A huge portion of his Spirit Essence was consumed rapidly, and Aksai summoned a phantom sword.
This sword, like the shadow, was pitch black and floated above his head, waiting for Aksai to complete the casting of Mudra and Mantra. The tension in the air was palpable.
With the final step completed, the pitch-black sword lit up with mystical Essence Equations, glowing symbols that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.
The sword hovered in the air, poised and ready.
Aksai, his expression determined and his teeth gritted, commanded the sword to slash at the phantom image behind him—the manifestation of his soul.
The sword moved through the air with a swift, fluid motion, slicing through the phantom image. Aksai’s body tensed, a grimace of pain crossing his face as the sword made contact. The shadow flickered, its form wavering as the Essence Equations embedded in the sword did their work.
Aksai felt a searing pain within him, a sensation like his very soul was being torn apart. Yet, he remained resolute, focusing on the technique and the goal he sought to achieve.
The shadow behind him split.
The right arm of Aksai’s phantom soul was severed by the phantom sword. The severed arm floated away from the main phantom image and lost its definite shape, becoming a shapeless entity resembling a black ink blob.
“Now… Now the last step. Formation of the Soul Fragment.”
Aksai gritted his teeth and started performing more hand signs. His original soul was hurt, and he felt like he had a killer headache. His eyes had turned bloodshot, and his whole body was sweating.
His right arm’s skin ruptured in many places, and blood flowed from the wounds. His injuries would have been even more severe if he didn’t have the potent life force of a druid.
“This… this is more difficult than I thought. But I… I can’t stop now.”
Aksai was in a precarious state. Yet, he knew he couldn’t tend to his soul-based wounds just yet.
The phantom arm he had severed from his soul needed to be turned into a Soul Fragment soon before it dissolved into nothingness, making all his efforts and the injuries he sustained meaningless.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Aksai began crafting various Essence Equations with his Mudra. These equations wrapped around the black ink blob, transforming it into a spectral cocoon.
[The Soul Fragment transformation has begun.]
The cocoon started stretching vertically, with more Essence Equations revolving around it, creating an almost hypnotic display. Slowly, the cocoon grew to match the size of Aksai’s phantom soul. The layers of Essence Equations covering the incomplete Soul Fragment began to unwrap, each one vanishing into the air.
[Estimated Soul Fragment completion: 70%]
[Estimated Soul Fragment completion: 80%]
[Estimated Soul Fragment completion: 85%]
[Estimated Soul Fragment completion: 93%]
A smile crept onto Aksai’s haggard face, but his relief was short-lived.
Just when he thought the process was complete, the incomplete Soul Fragment shattered like a mirror struck by a sharp object.
[Soul Fragment completion failed at 97% state]
In an instant, it disintegrated into countless pieces before dissolving into thin air.
“Fuuuuuuccccc–!”
Aksai’s eyes widened in shock and horror as blood sprayed from his seven orifices.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
His meditative posture broke, and he collapsed onto his back, convulsing in inexplicable pain.
Aksai regretted underestimating the repercussions of the soul-based technique’s failure. He realized he should have prepared better with soul-based concoctions and artifacts.
‘Damn it. This… this is a huge setback.’
He concluded that it would take several months to recover from this injury, as performing the Anahant Soul Splitting Technique on himself repeatedly would only further damage his soul.
In the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to his death while his body remained relatively unscathed.
‘Damn it. Why can’t I succeed in my first attempt for once?’
Just as he was about to curse his luck, something strange happened. The demon tree’s branches swayed, and it sent a wood vine toward Aksai.
The vine began revolving around him, and he could faintly sense what it wanted, thanks to their telepathic connection.
‘You… You have a way?’
Gritting his teeth, Aksai sat cross-legged.
Then something wondrous happened.
The wood vine connected with his tailbone, providing him with a strange energy that started healing his bodily and soul-based injuries.
The severed arm of Aksai’s phantom soul, which was supposed to take several months to regenerate, began to regenerate visibly.
‘You… Do you want more of that vegan food? F*cking have… have at it.’
Simultaneously, the demon tree demanded more Flesh Pumpkins, and Aksai obliged.
With a flick of his fingers, loads of Flesh Pumpkins appeared around the demon tree. The tree sent countless wood vines to pierce these pumpkins, extracting their life force. As it fed, it also mended Aksai’s soul-based injuries.
Aksai’s bodily injuries were the first to heal. The wounds on his skin closed, and his strength began to return.
Aksai lost track of time as the demon tree began healing his injuries.
It took three days for the severed spectral arm of his phantom soul to regenerate completely, restoring his phantom soul image to its whole form.