Inside the temple, the light became stronger and stronger, covering Barkley and Maraia. Barkley felt a force coming from all directions, as if the energy of the entire universe was condensing, and he was standing at the center of this energy. The floor under his feet began to vibrate slightly, and the eyes of the stone statue shot out two beams of light, pointing directly to the dome of the temple, as if summoning some ancient existence.
Maraia stood in front of the stone statue, calm and focused. Her palm was still on the chest of the stone statue, as if guiding this energy. "Barkley, the next moment, you will face a real awakening." Her voice was low and mysterious in the light, "This process is very dangerous, because you have to completely merge with the power in your body. This power is not born to you, it belongs to an older existence, and your genes are just its container."
Barkley took a deep breath and his heartbeat accelerated. Awakening-this word carries a heavy sense of fate. He has been struggling to survive all his life, but he never realized that he actually carried such a huge power. He felt something in his body awakening, like a long-sleeping beast slowly opening its eyes.
"What should I do?" he asked, with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Let go of your fear," Maraia's voice was still calm, "let go of your fear of the unknown, accept it, and accept the essence deep in your heart. Only in this way can you truly merge with this power instead of being swallowed by it."
Barkley nodded, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down. He recalled the faces of his parents, and the days of loneliness and confusion. Everything seemed to be leading him to today's moment. He must believe in his destiny, and he must believe that he has the ability to control this power.
The vibration in the light became stronger, as if the entire temple was responding to Barkley's awakening. His body began to heat up, and the heat spread from his limbs to his chest, and finally gathered in his mind. He felt an unprecedented power surging into his body, as if every cell of his body was being reshaped. Consciousness began to blur, as if he was in a chaos, and time and space seemed to have lost their meaning at this moment.
Suddenly, a series of blurred images flashed before Barkley's eyes. He saw the distant starry sky, and huge stars and planets flashed in front of him, as if they were within reach. He saw a destroyed planet, ashes and dust floating in the void of the universe, and hundreds of millions of lives vanished in an instant. He saw his parents again, standing in an unknown laboratory, with serious and anxious faces, as if facing a huge crisis.
"Barkley..." His mother's voice sounded softly in his ears, "You have to be careful, this power is stronger than you think. It doesn't just belong to you, it belongs to the entire universe."
The picture flashed by, and Barkley's consciousness gradually became clear. He suddenly understood the nature of this power-it is an ancient power that transcends the limitations of time and space, and even exceeds human understanding. This power is not for destruction, but for balancing certain laws in the universe. Because of this, his parents sealed it in his genes to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Barkley felt that the connection between him and this power was getting closer and closer. His body gradually adapted to this energy, and his consciousness began to become clear. The light around him became warm and soft, as if soothing him. The light column on the stone statue gradually disappeared, and the temple returned to its original tranquility.
He opened his eyes and found himself still standing in the center of the temple, with Marlea standing quietly beside him, watching him.
"Did I... succeed?" Barkley asked in a low voice, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Marlea smiled slightly and nodded. "You have awakened, Barkley. You are not only yourself now, you are also the controller of this power. But remember, this power is also dangerous. If you can't control it well, it will devour you and even destroy everything around you."
Barkley took a deep breath and felt the power flowing in his body. This power is so huge that it seems endless, but at the same time he also feels a hidden danger. Like a double-edged sword, it can protect him and change his destiny if used properly; but once it gets out of control, it will also lead him to the abyss.
"What should I do next?" Barkley asked, his eyes firm.
Mariya walked up to him and whispered, "Your parents left some clues about how to further unlock the power in you, and also about those who try to control it. They don't want this power to be used to protect the balance of the universe, they want to use it to break these laws. You must stop them, only you can do it."
Barkley nodded, and a clear picture gradually emerged in his mind. He knew that he could no longer escape. His fate had long been closely linked to this ancient power by his parents' choice. Now, he must find those who want to abuse this power and stop their plans.
"I will go find them and stop them," Barkley said firmly, "no matter what the cost."
Maliya smiled slightly and patted his shoulder. "Your parents will be proud of you, Barkley. I believe you can do it."
When Barkley left the temple, the sun had begun to set, and the sky in the distance was dyed a fiery red. He felt that the power in his body was still surging. Although he had not yet fully controlled it, he could feel that he was no longer the person who only knew how to escape and hide.
The woman was still standing outside the temple, as if she had been waiting for him. Seeing Barkley come out, she nodded slightly, as if she was satisfied with his awakening results.
"What's the next step?" Barkley asked, looking into the distance. He knew that his journey was far from over.
"We are going to find someone." The woman replied with a hint of nervousness in her voice, "He was your father's former partner, but now he has become the biggest threat. Only by finding him can we prevent the disaster from happening."
Barkley felt his heart tighten, and he knew that the next challenge would be even more difficult.
"Where is he?" Barkley asked, with a firm determination in his eyes.
The woman was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: "He is hiding in a corner of the universe, a place where your parents and he once studied together. That place does not belong to any galaxy."
Barkley frowned, but then nodded. He was ready for every upcoming battle.
Just as the two were about to set off, Barkley suddenly felt a strong energy fluctuation coming from behind him. He turned back suddenly and saw a huge crack above the temple, as if time and space were torn apart. A low humming sound came faintly from the crack, as if some unknown existence was about to come.
"Oops..." The woman's face suddenly became solemn, "They have found us."
Barkley's heart suddenly tightened. He has not yet fully adapted to the new power in his body, and this sudden crisis caught him off guard. Thick black fog surged out of the crack, like a monster summoned from the depths of the universe. The black fog quickly gathered in the air and gradually formed a huge figure, with countless tentacles tumbling, as if they were trying to infiltrate the real world.
"Who are they?" Barkley gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.
"They are the people who tracked your parents' power-they are the oldest hunters in the universe, specializing in hunting those who have power." The woman looked stern, "They want more than just control of power, their ultimate goal is to completely break the balance of the universe."
Barkley subconsciously clenched his fists, and the power in his body began to surge uncontrollably. He knew he had to fight these enemies, but he still didn't fully understand how to use his power.
The monster in the black fog gradually condensed into shape, and its huge tentacles snaked down like snakes, trying to grab Barkley and the woman. The woman suddenly pulled out a dagger from her waist. The dagger was engraved with ancient runes and flickered with a faint light. She quickly threw the dagger at the monster in the air, and the dagger drew an arc in the air and pierced one of the monster's tentacles.
The monster let out a sharp howl, and the black fog seemed to be torn apart. But just a moment later, the tentacles began to regenerate rapidly, and the black fog gathered again, thicker than before.
"Damn, they can't be eliminated so easily!" The woman cursed in a low voice.
"What should we do?" Barkley asked loudly, feeling a growing sense of urgency.
The woman glanced at Barkley, and a complex look flashed in her eyes. "You must use the power in your body," she said, "Only the ancient energy in your body can deal with them."
Barkley's heart was shocked, and he knew that this moment would come. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to try to guide the power in his body. He could feel that energy surging in his body like a torrent of the universe, but there was always a lack of an outlet.
The monster in the black fog attacked again, and several tentacles suddenly attacked, heading straight for Barkley. The woman tried to block him, but the tentacles were too powerful, and she was unable to resist and was knocked to the ground.
"Hurry up, Barkley!" She shouted weakly, "Don't let them get close to you!"
Barkley suddenly opened his eyes and instantly felt that the energy in his body had reached its peak. He had no time to think about how to control it, and could only guide it by instinct. He raised his hands above his head, clenched his fists, and a roar burst out of his throat.
Suddenly, a circle of dazzling light burst out around his body, and the light spread in an instant, like a powerful shock wave, rushing straight towards the monster in the black fog. The tentacles evaporated instantly in the light, and the black fog made a harsh scream and began to dissipate rapidly. Barkley felt a strong sense of weakness, his legs softened, and he could hardly stand, but he still gritted his teeth and tried to maintain this strength.
"Hold on, Barkley!" The woman struggled to stand up from the ground, with a little surprise in her eyes, "You did a good job, but you still need to master the true form of this power."
Barkley felt dizzy, but he knew it was not over yet. He took a deep breath and forced himself to concentrate, focusing all his will on the energy in his body. His hands began to heat up and gradually burned with a light blue flame, which seemed to be connected to the starlight of the universe and full of endless power.
The monster in the black fog completely collapsed, and the cracks in the sky gradually closed. The entire temple returned to tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.
Barkley was panting and exhausted. He felt that he had almost exhausted all his energy, but his heart was filled with an indescribable sense of power.
"You succeeded." The woman walked to his side, with a hint of praise in her voice, "But this is just the beginning. Those hunters will not give up, they will keep hunting you until they get what they want."
Barkley nodded, tired but determined. He knew he could never turn back, this road was full of dangers and unknowns, but he had to go on.
"Where are we going next?" he asked, with a hint of determination in his eyes.
The woman looked up into the distance, with a hint of complex emotions in her eyes. "We're going to find your father. He's the only one who can tell you how to fully control this power."
Barkley's heart was shocked. Father, this word lingered in his mind for too long. He thought he would never have the chance to see his father again, but now, fate seems to have given him another chance.
"He... is still alive?" Barkley asked cautiously.
The woman nodded. "He's alive, but where he is is more dangerous than you think."
Barkley didn't ask any more questions. He knew that he had no way out and the road ahead was bound to be full of challenges, but he had to find his father and solve all these mysteries. Only in this way could he truly understand the power he carried.
"Let's go." He said, with a firm light in his eyes.
The two of them turned and left the temple. The sun had completely set, and the night gradually enveloped the earth. The starry sky in the distance was shining, as if guiding them.