Days passed, blending into a rhythm. Each sunrise brought new hope as Mike followed his routine, strengthening his body with basic exercises and meditating each night. His meditation focused on recalling the image of the beast from that fateful day, how it had drawn in the thunder and spiritual energy. He tried to replicate that process within himself, but no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing happened.
"I can't just sit here and hope it'll work," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead after yet another failed attempt. "There has to be something I'm missing…"
Mike's mind shifted to an analytical mode. He had no understanding of this world's energy system, so he reverted to what he knew from his previous life. He began thinking about the fundamental structure of matter—atoms, molecules, the building blocks of life. Could spiritual energy have its own structure? A pattern he hadn't seen yet?
"What if… it's not about pulling energy in?" he pondered aloud, pacing back and forth in the cave. "What if it's about aligning myself with it? Like tuning a frequency…"
He visualized the energy around him, picturing it as waves. But each attempt to draw the energy into his body brought only failure. Frustrated, he tried to force the energy in by visualizing it filling him, but it felt wrong—unnatural. Even when he tried to breathe in the energy, the only result was a sharp pain in his throat and nose, causing him to abandon the idea entirely.
After several days of trial and error, Mike slumped against the cave wall. "This isn't working. Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way…"
His mind drifted back to the beast, the image seared into his memory. He remembered how the beast had absorbed not just the spiritual energy, but something else. There had been three distinct presences that day: the terrifying red thunder, the spiritual energy the beast absorbed, and another energy—a violent, chaotic force that had swirled around the beast just before it died.
"What was that other energy?" Mike whispered, narrowing his eyes as he replayed the scene in his mind. It hadn't been like the spiritual energy at all, but it was still part of the world around him.
He tried to imitate that chaotic energy, forcing it out of his body. But every attempt left him feeling even more off-balance, as though his body was rejecting it. Yet, as he quieted his mind and focused inward, something strange began to happen. He noticed a faint, chaotic yet gentle energy deep within him. It wasn't as violent as what he had seen outside, but it felt oddly familiar, like it belonged to him.
"What… is this?" Mike questioned, concentrating harder. This energy was chaotic but not hostile—it wasn't resisting him, but it wasn't fully under his control either.
Instead of trying to force the spiritual energy into his body, Mike decided to work with this strange energy inside him. He let it guide his body, allowing it to blend with his muscles, bones, and cells. As he did this, his body began to feel more in tune with the world around him. The spiritual energy seemed less distant, almost as if he was moving closer to it, rather than pulling it toward himself.
"I think this is it," Mike whispered, feeling a subtle shift. He didn't fully understand what was happening, but he knew he was on the right path.
The process was slow, filled with moments of failure and frustration. He would spend hours aligning his body with the energy, only to feel like he had made no progress. But there were small victories too—each day, the connection grew a little stronger.
Mike decided to integrate this process into his training routine, focusing on the idea of aligning his body with spiritual energy while exercising. He visualized his body's structure, seeing how each movement could help him blend with the energy around him. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress. For now, this chaotic energy within him would be his guide, and he would continue to learn and adapt as he went.