Reece breathed in deeply as he sat within the cavern, still feeling the exhilaration of his recent modifications to stabilize [Existence Embrace]. Now that he was rested and had restored enough of his mana, he cast his mind outward, activating [Soul Sense] with a single thought.
His goal was simple yet essential—find Liz and check on her current condition. To his surprise and satisfaction, he noticed that his spell's reach had expanded since his last upgrade. What was once a 100-mile range now stretched to 150 miles. It was a modest boost in reach, but every mile of added awareness was invaluable.
The cavern where he had collapsed after casting [Existence Embrace] was vast, almost humbling in size. Solidified mana crystals jutted from the stone above and below him, stretching like the sharp, gleaming roots of a mythical tree.
The immense concentration of mana had created this rich crystal source, one that had spread like an underground river to form veins that spanned the entire mountain range. Reece noted this with quiet amazement. If veins had reached even as far as the Steelwood Serpent's cave on the outskirts, thousands of miles away, it was proof of just how massive and deep the mana source ran.
"No doubt this mountain range is teeming with creatures feeding off these veins," he thought. He shifted his gaze toward the core of the cavern, where his spell [Existence Embrace] had anchored itself above the mana crystal source, pulling energy from the abundant mana below. "It's time to make some adjustments," he murmured, moving toward the spell's core. "I'll modify [Existence Embrace] into something more manageable and safer."
Behind him, Prima's voice was soft and pleading. "Master… Please, be careful."
He glanced up briefly, feeling the weight of her words. The tension from their previous exchange lingered like a shadow, and he knew she was still deeply worried. Her voice trembled with concern, hoping to avoid another incident like the last.
"Don't worry, Prima. I'm using [Creator's Imagination] this time, so it's all about thought. You can correct any idea that's off base." He tried to reassure her, though he knew full well the risk he was taking.
In the past, he would have altered the spell manually, recalibrating each rune, formation, and complex calculation, but the current spell's design was dangerous enough on its own without any additional changes. Recasting after modifications, especially to a barrier spell, would be like pouring fuel onto a blaze. A miscalculation could overload the spell and create an implosion, collapsing the entire structure into a singularity.
For a spell as extreme as [Existence Embrace], even the simplest error could unleash devastating consequences. If the spell imploded, it could tear apart the mortal realm itself, collapsing into a black hole that would consume everything in its path. The effect would ripple outward, destabilizing even the immortal realms and, eventually, the god realm itself as the fabric of their current universe unraveled.
Using regular mana as a substitute for primal mana was already risky, but with [Creator's Imagination], he could streamline the modifications, limiting adjustments to the surface level to avoid tampering with its core.
Two primary modifications came to mind. First, he needed to redefine the barrier's inner range into a domain under his control, allowing him to teleport instantly within the barrier's confines. This would require his constant synchronization with the spell through his [Soul Sense], effectively making him a minor god within the domain. His second intended change was time manipulation within the barrier. Although achieving true time dilation would normally require primal mana, he'd prepared a workaround.
He had not mindlessly slaughtered monsters on the previous floors for nothing. While he had fought, Prima had been gathering the mana cores dropped by each defeated creature, storing hundreds of thousands within his spatial bags, each one rich with their own raw energy.
Now, he could melt these cores down, infuse them with primal mana, and merge them to form low-quality primal cores. The process was time-consuming but manageable and fast with [Creator's Imagination].
Positioning himself a few miles away from the core of [Existence Embrace] to avoid any accidental disruptions, he spread his hands, summoning his conversion technique. His hands hovered inches apart as Prima sent one mana core after another between them. Reece crushed each core, the mana within dissipating as he infused it with his primal energy. Thousands of cores passed through his hands over the next hour until, finally, he held two adept-level primal cores, even more than he had expected.
Returning to the spell's core, a shimmering cube encased in golden, ancient runes, he stood before [Existence Embrace] with the primal cores in hand. "Wish me luck, Prima…" he murmured, not waiting for her reply before he focused his intent and directed the cores toward the spell. Encoded with [Creator's Imagination], each core was marked with the adjustments he had set in mind. He watched the modifications take effect, the primal cores integrating smoothly with the spell.
"Everything seems stable…" Reece murmured, still checking with a fine mana thread. The adjustments were so seamless that he checked them multiple times, ensuring every function worked as intended. The shield was intact, and the domain modification had succeeded, creating a space he could manipulate freely within.
"Master, I'm running diagnostics on [Existence Embrace]. It's running flawlessly, but there's a catch," Prima noted.
"Go on," Reece prompted, ready for anything.
"The mana crystal source is draining faster. Every vein outside a 1327-mile radius is drying up, disintegrating as it loses mana. The spread is widening quickly." Her voice was urgent. "Activate the last optional modification you had placed as soon as possible. Its been added successfully as well"
Reece acted immediately. Connecting his [Soul Sense] to the modified barrier spell, he felt an exhilarating rush as the first modification activated. The spell synced with his senses, empowering him within the newly formed domain.
What had once been passive clarity was now overwhelming awareness; he could feel, sense, and even smell the entirety of the mountain range around him. Every rock, every twist in the underground labyrinth, each presence within his domain became part of his consciousness.
Wasting no time, he activated the optional and third modification, setting off the conversion sequence that would transform the mana crystal source into a primal mana crystal source. Sustaining [Existence Embrace] on regular mana alone was untenable, draining the resources faster than the spell could bear.
If he could shift to primal mana, even if low quality, it would reduce the barrier's strain, allowing it to run indefinitely. The spell was designed for primal energy, so an artificial source, however weak, was better than depleting the mana source entirely.
For a tense few minutes, Reece observed closely, ready to cancel the spell at the first sign of instability. But, as before, the process completed flawlessly.
"Prima, I need diagnostics," he called out. "Tell me the limits of the primal crystal source and how much time dilation [Existence Embrace] can handle."
"On it, master!" Prima's energy was focused, and he felt her assessing the crystal's capacity alongside the barrier's load. The primal cores' compatibility with [Existence Embrace] had drastically reduced the energy demand. Instead of consuming 106% capacity, the modified spell now ran at a mere 0.00563%—barely a fraction of its former load, even with the teleportation capability in use.
"Master!" Prima reported, her tone bright. "Time dilation is stable at a 1:1000 ratio—one day outside equals one thousand days inside the barrier. You have approximately 12 standard months before the primal mana source is exhausted which equates to roughly over 980 years within the barrier. That's enough time for both you and Liz to train."
Reece exhaled in relief, sinking onto the cold stone floor as he surveyed his surroundings, his eyes lingering on the motionless void beast beside him that he had teleported to them as Prima ran diagnostics. Liz's body was still, her breaths shallow and erratic as her instincts fought for survival.
"Thank the heavens," he murmured, his voice full of relief. "That's more than enough time."
Without hesitation, he instructed, "Prima, initiate the time dilation. I'm starting Liz's awakening."
"As you command," Prima replied and activated the sequence.
The moment the time dilation took effect, the atmosphere within the barrier rippled, a subtle tremor spreading through time and space. Inside, time flowed differently. Outside, a day would pass, while inside, they had thousands. The core of [Existence Embrace] pulsed with greater intensity, its power stretching to fill the cavern in an ageless cocoon. To the outside world, they had only a year. Within the domain, he and Liz had almost a thousand.
As the time dilation stabilized, Reece turned his full attention to Liz, whose form remained in hibernation. Even unconscious, she was battling for survival, her breaths shallow as her body fought against the damage sustained. He could feel the toll it had taken on her; she had lost more than half of her life force in the battle and subsequent trigger of evolution.
"Prima, how soon until I can start her evolution?" Reece asked, his voice tense.
Prima's reply was instant. "You can begin anytime. Her body is stable, though weakened. I suggest starting with gentle energy infusions to stabilize her, then slowly increase the flow."
With Prima's guidance, Reece prepared for the task ahead, layering spell after spell of life-preserving enchantments over Liz's body. He poured mana into each one, infusing them with protective qualities to shield her as she went through the grueling process of evolution. His hands hovered over her, his mana threading through her being, wrapping her in layer upon layer of energy. She was vulnerable, but he would not allow anything to go wrong.
"Let's begin," he whispered, his tone one of quiet determination. He knew this was as much a trial for him as it was for her. In this sealed, timeless domain, he would oversee her transformation, nurturing her strength until she emerged fully evolved, capable of facing the Tower's perils beside him.
The ripple of time and space echoed around them as the seconds outside slipped by like grains of sand. Inside, however, Reece felt the steady, unhurried march of thousands of days stretching out before him. For the first time in what felt like lifetimes, he could take a breath, knowing he had time to work, to train, to prepare.
And with that, his journey with Liz, within this sacred space, had truly begun.