*Spirit Realm. Yuki.*
The trees were twisted, their lifeless branches reaching skyward like skeletal fingers. The soil was dark and barren, devoid of even a single blade of grass. Thick, ominous clouds blocked most of the sunlight, casting an eerie gloom over the land. Everything scread danger.
"Ugh, this isn't how I imagined the Spirit Realm," Yui muttered, her eyes darting nervously at every shadow and rustle.
"At least it's easier to train here," Katara said, summoning a sphere of water above her palm. "It's like I've been living in a desert all this ti. The concentration of elental particles is so much higher here."
"You two wanted to hone your skills in real battles," I reminded my younger sister. "This place is crawling with dark spirits, and it's because of them that this once-beautiful land has withered... Ten years ago, I saw a strange spirit in the shape of a ball wandering these trees, completely clueless. Yeah, we're standing near where I first appeared. There used to be a Wong camp nearby, but for the past couple of years, the dark spirits have taken over."
This Solstice, we'd decided to enter Yuki's body. Katara and Yui had been begging to join for years, and while I'd held off before due to their lack of strength, they were more than ready now. I'd even chosen a location far from any ancient spirits. My biggest worry was whether the barrier between worlds would let the girls through. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and here we were, all limbs intact.
"Alright, we don't have much ti—let's hunt!" I clapped my hands. "Maybe next ti I'll show you the prettier spots."
Our first opponents didn't keep us waiting. They were massive purple bees, buzzing with dark energy. Katara stepped forward.
"I'll take them!" She swung her arm, and several vertical streams of water shot out, slicing through the bees before they could reach us. "Thought it'd be harder," she murmured, impressed.
"Don't get too excited," I warned, shaking my head. "Those were just average spirits. Your real opponents are coming."
As a warm-up, I led the group through areas inhabited by mid-level spirits, letting them get used to their newfound power. For example, Katara's water technique would've been impossible in the human world. She'd have had to gather water from the air first, then use it.
"You're on your own now," I said, spotting a high-level spirit. I waved at the girls and began to fade, covering myself in a thin layer of water to refract sunlight and beco invisible. I'd copied the technique from Muu, the Second Tsuchikage, from *Naruto*. It hadn't been easy—I'd struggled for a week to master it.
"You forgot to block our connection..." Yui sighed, clearly seeing where I'd "disappeared" to.
"Right!" I smacked my forehead, splashing water. Missed my mont...
For the first ti, I was genuinely glad to see a dark spirit—it saved from an awkward situation. The spirit was a massive, multi-ter monstrosity, part Chinese dragon, part snail, with a long serpentine body, four short legs, and three giant eyes protruding from its head. Its purple scales glistened, and a pale lilac mane circled its... neck, I guess.
"I'm starting to hate purple," Katara grimaced.
"Food-a-a-a!" Its voice bood like a giant bell. I almost envied Katara and Yui for not understanding spirit speech.
"Watch out!" the girls shouted in unison, darting away. Where they'd stood, the ground sank two ters. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the path of the spirit's mouth-launched liquid—it looked deadly.
Katara and Yui didn't wait for the next attack. Katara unleashed a high-pressure water jet, while Yui sent a swarm of water sharks at the spirit. The sharks bit into its body, but within seconds, the spirit retaliated, covering nearly a hectare in its disgusting sli.
The girls hastily created water shields, their energy draining as they reinforced the barriers. So droplets still penetrated, tearing holes in their clothes.
After a silent exchange, they coordinated better. Finally, they were listening to my warnings... For two days before the Solstice, I'd drilled into them that spirits were far stronger than conquerors, lacking human weaknesses.
Soon, the ground beneath the spirit turned into a sticky swamp. A massive ice mallet appeared above it, pounding it deeper and deeper.
"They've used half their reserves... What's next?" I wondered, watching the girls' pained expressions. They'd never channeled so much energy before.
Above them, a water drill began to form, growing larger and faster. The spirit struggled to escape the swamp, but it was too late. The drill, twice the spirit's height, crushed everything in its path. I leaped forward, ready to absorb its energy.
"At this rate, I'll need to eat a few hundred more high-level spirits," I thought, feeling my power grow slightly. Katara and Yui lay exhausted on the ground, their exposed skin revealing their youthful curves thanks to the spirit's corrosive attacks.
"Congratulations on your first victory against a strong opponent! I think today's 'catch' isn't over yet—we've got hours left!" I cheered, clapping.
"Yay..." Katara mumbled weakly. Yui just nodded faintly.
"Alright, rest up while I warm up," I said, cracking my bones. I channeled life energy, extending my shoulder bone into a sharp weapon.
"That looks gross..." Yui wrinkled her nose.
"But effective," I said, firing bone fragnts that pierced two curious spirits. Battlefields often attract other spirits hoping for an easy kill.
I encased myself in a bone armor and charged into the fray. With no high-level spirits around, my bones were more than enough.
For hours, we slaughtered dark spirits. The girls seed to regret this trip...
"Let's head south," I said, sensing trouble. My intuition was weak but persistent.
With just over three hours left, we stumbled upon an archaeological find. On a small green adow—the only place for miles with any growth—we discovered the tops of stone houses. In a few decades, they'd be completely buried.
"Did people live in the Spirit Realm?" Katara wondered.
From my stories, the girls knew even intelligent spirits didn't build—they used earth or tree branches. Wan Shi Tong's library was an exception, more a repository than a ho.
"Let's carefully excavate the village," I suggested. The girls eagerly agreed. I had so theories, but I'd keep them to myself for now.
Our conquest skills let us carefully carve away layers of earth. Half an hour later, we uncovered sturdy houses that could be inhabited with so effort. Each of us took a few to explore.
"There's a strange skeleton here!" Katara called.
We rushed to her house, where she was gently touching a complete human skeleton.
"Look how sturdy it is!" she exclaid, striking the femur.
"Hmm," I knelt beside her, touching the clavicle. They were unusually strong. Scanning it, I understood why. "This was a life energy practitioner. Their bones still hold a faint echo of that energy..."
"That's why only this area still grows!" Yui realized excitedly.
We found more intact skeletons, all practitioners with anomalous health. Having seen the world, I knew tall people were rare... Maybe mages displaced life energy bloodlines? Who knows, but it's worth pondering.
"Alright, let's head back," I urged. My intuition was now screaming that my rear was in danger. "Actually, no rush," I sighed. That's the problem with intuition—with large-scale threats or strong enemies, it's unreliable.
I stretched my arm, grabbing the girls, who still didn't realize our situation. Activating my fifth chakra, I altered my perception of ti, taking full control of my body. Life energy surged through my channels. My back muscles, quads, calves, and foot muscles tensed. My legs bulged, veins thickening. I jumped with all my might.
"Close!" I shouted internally. Just as I reached the height, a massive mouth swallowed the entire village. "What did I do wrong?! Why did the universe send an ancient spirit here?!"
"Maybe it's the purple dragon's mom or dad," Yui said, Katara nodding. You'd have to be blind not to see the resemblance—this ancient spirit was just a larger version of the high-level one.
"Do all your trips end like this?" Katara asked as I carried them, sprinting away.
"Well... sotis," I admitted reluctantly, stepping on the giant snake-dragon's snout to push off. Even through its dark energy-clouded mind, this ancient spirit seed to value its offspring. Knowing how hard it is for spirits to have children, it was heartbreaking...
"Can this thing fly?!" I realized I had no choice. I'd never thought I'd do "this," but there's a first ti for everything.
"Don't freak out, and rember as young and handso!" I shouted, pushing the girls forward. In the next mont, I was swallowed. Even the spirit seed stunned by my suicidal move.
"Yuki-i-i!"
"No-o-o!" I should've explained my plan...
"This was the plan, Yui!" I ssaged her through our connection.
"Why does this spirit sll so awful?" I wondered, quickly covering myself in bone armor, turning into a hedgehog. Its internal fluids lted my exposed skin, causing agony. I pushed off its stomach walls and spun rapidly.
"Sonic X! Soni-i-ic I-I-I-X!" For so reason, the *Sonic the Hedgehog* the played in my head. Spinning fast enough, I burrowed through its skin. It was thick—it took a full minute to shoot out into the air. The spirit had probably been trying to vomit up... At least I saw a pelvis bone from the village skeleton float past...
"Freedom for parrots!" I cheered. Maybe I overdid it with the hormones.
"Yuki!" Katara and Yui waved, running from the spirit. While our enemy was still reeling, we had to escape. I made a hole and pushed the girls through.
"We'll et again, my future leather belt!" I waved at the spirit. "Ugh, so stubborn," I hissed, feeling its saliva burn my muscles.
On the other side, I collapsed into the snow.
"That was... aweso," I panted, nervously laughing. The adrenaline was fading.
"Don't do that again!"
"What were you thinking?!" The two furies glared at , their eyes flashing with divine retribution. Oh, the poetry phase...
"The situation demanded risk," I shrugged, pulling out a green crystal to restore my life energy. "Alright, alright, I won't! Promise!" I added, seeing they were still angry.
"Idiot!" Katara said, lying beside .
"Big one," Yui agreed, taking the other side.
"But admit it—it was fun!"
"Katara, I think we need to use other powers..."
"Agreed. We'll tell Kae everything."
"No, not her! I'm joking, ha-ha... Not funny, right?" I backpedaled. I didn't want to disturb Kae—she was still recovering from giving birth to Hi.
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