He followed the trail on the stone map, a pulse leading him westward, deeper into the ragged cliffs. The sound reached him before the sight—a roar, too deep, too wide. Not wind. Not water.
He crested the final ridge and beheld it:
A massive waterfall, yet not of liquid. Instead, waves of luminous energy poured from a rift in the mountain. Light cascaded like molten glass, crashing into a glowing basin below.
Heat radiated gently, but the force—the movement—was overwhelming.
Active Energy Detected:
▸ Kinetic Intensity: HIGH
▸ Gravitational Flow: EXTREME
▸ Thermal Output: PASSIVE
Total Estimate: 950–1100 QP (Raw Form)
He stood motionless. This wasn't an opportunity. It was a question: Do you dare?
---
He extended his threads. Reached.
The system jolted:
Attempt Failed – Energy Source Unstable
Direct Absorption Infeasible
Required: Geometric Focusing Node
He pulled back. That much energy would shred his current form.
Looking around, he began planning. Crystals, bones, and curved stones. He could build a lens, not to trap the energy, but to let it breathe, then siphon.
It wouldn't be force… It would be guidance.
---
He set to work. Using elongated bones from past scavenges, he created a crescent arc. Cooling crystals lined the edge, drawing the thermal bleed off the stream.
He anchored the funnel around the ridge of the falls. A small chamber of woven stone below would act as a collector.
A heat-reflection plate was angled just beneath the primary cascade.
The structure hummed.
Passive Drain Active
Accumulation Rate: 14 QP/min
Overload Risk: Minimal
He sat. Watched. The noise of the cascade dulled through the system—calm in chaos.
He was making a storm behave.
---
The sky changed. Clouds churned above. Pressure built not from above—but from within the ground.
Reactive Pulse Detected
Energy Vein Instability: Rising
Micro-Eruption Risk: 72%
A choice. Run—or balance it.
He began redirecting the overflow into a secondary channel—cruder, but functional. Sweat—if he had glands—would have poured from him.
He held the lines. The pressure howled. The mist vibrated.
Then… stillness.
---
QP surged. 925. 956. 974. 992.
His threads pulsed with tension. Then—
QP Bank Full: 1,000 / 1,000
Passive Threshold Reached
Life-Sense Unlocked (Lv.1)
The world blinked. He felt pulses—not from the fall—but from the world around it.
Tiny signatures. In the moss. In insects he never saw.
Life.
It was like hearing color.
---
He stepped away from the structure, not because it was finished—but because he was.
Every stone shimmered with a heartbeat. The mist wasn't just air—it carried messages.
Life-Sense: Active
Passive Detection Radius: 30 meters
Next Unlock: 3,000 QP
He whispered:
> "This world… it isn't just made of energy. It is alive."
And for the first time, he didn't feel like a trespasser. He felt like part of the system.
---