Turns out swimming was a long forgotten exercise that completely transford Lee’s vacation in Verdaria. On the first day he did wash thoroughly, but only on the second morning went for the swim.
Obviously he had done it in his previous lives, but he wasn’t sure he had ever swum in waters as clear as these. Under the rays of the sun he clearly could see the pebbles on the bottom of the lake, but when he attempted to dive toward it, he couldn’t even get half way down.
This gave Lee sothing to do.
To pass the ti he began to practice swimming, or rather – diving. At first it was challenging, but when on the third day he almost effortlessly got to the bottom of the lake, he realized that the water spark had granted him another perk.
Obviously he couldn’t breathe under water or stay there indefinitely, but descending sixty feet was no longer a problem.
After acquiring the new hobby, Lee began to stroll around the new world, swimming in the lakes of different sizes. They had all one common thing, though, the crystal clear waters.
The fun ended when on the fourth day he dived in one of the smallest ponds he found. It was at most sixty feet wide, but more than double that in depth.
To get to the bottom Lee took as another challenge, but on the first attempt, half way down, he found a two yards wide cave. The strange part was that it seed there was so kind of light coming from it, and, fueled by curiosity, Lee swam inside.
It wasn’t that deep, maybe fifteen feet, but at the end Lee found a room sized grotto. Only half of it was under water, but on the other, next to the wall, there was sothing ... shining.
Lee was positive he hadn’t eaten anything weird, to not speak about smoking or drinking alcohol, but no matter how hard he pinched himself, the three feet tall, translucent mushroom was still there. Inside of it, right under the millstone sized cap, shone an object.
Despite his shock, Lee was clear it was a spark, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around how and why it was here. Wasn’t it supposed to be inside of so huge super-old tree?
’Alright!’ He thought, ’Let’s see what Lunax has hidden in his treasure vault!’
Instructions to call for a caretaker were clear, but he really, really wanted to touch the thing ...
’What the hell are you doing!’ Lee heard an angry voice inside of him. It was the sa elderly he heard on the first evening, but this ti he was actually scared shitless.
"I’m sorry, Sir! I didn’t know you were following !" Lee said out loud, but even without looking around he knew he was alone.
’What are you shouting for? No one’s following you!’ The elderly voice said, ’You can go away and next ti don’t try to make fire on my threads or you’ll make angry!’
’Threads?’ Lee repeated to himself, but clearly he was hallucinating, because the voice heard that.
It said, ’Yes, threads. You probably call them roots. Now go!’
’Ok! Hallucinogenic mushrooms are nothing new! Lee grinned to himself.
Clearly he had stumbled upon especially fancy magic shroom. Too bad he couldn’t bake a pie and make a filling out of it.
’I’ll show you pie, you motherfucker!’ To Lee’s shock the light within mushroom shone so bright, he had to cover his eyes.
’Sorry, sorry!" He said out loud, ’What the hell are you?’
’What the hell are YOU?’ The elderly voice almost barked at him.
’I’m Lee!’ He said.
’That’s a stupid na for species!’ The voice said. It wasn’t angry anymore, and it even seed it was laughing at him.
’No. That’s my na.’ Lee said, ’I’m a human, if you’re interested in species.’
’Right, right.’ The voice said, ’Why aren’t you running around with the others? Aren’t you all looking for the spark?’
It was strange to strike a conversation with a voice in own head. It clearly would be classified as schizophrenia by the modern psychology, but Lee was amused by the dialog.
He sat down on the wet ground, and closed his eyes. The air here was surprisingly fresh and cool. It was a pleasant change to the warm weather above the ground.
’Everyone is looking, but I found it even though I didn’t want to!’ Lee thought with a grin.
’Then get away from !’ The elderly voice commanded, and Lee looked at the mushroom in shock.
"Don’t tell ..." He said out loud, not believing his eyes.
The thing that was talking in his consciousness was the mushroom, because he noticed it slightly vibrating every ti it did.
’What? The spark isn’t ready yet, and you don’t need it anyway!’ The voice inside of him said, and this ti he clearly saw the vibrations, and even felt it with his bottom, because the ground similarly vibrated.
"You know why I’m positive this is hallucination?" Lee said with a smile, "You’re fucking talking in the Ashland’s dialect! Even if we assu the impossible and you knew it beforehand, there is no way for anyone to be certain I know it."
’Oh these young people ... what happened to the world? Spouting profanities left and right without any respect for the elderly!’ The voice said, and the smirk on Lee’s face froze, hearing the next part, ’Thousands of you running around my world, stomping on with every step you take! How do you think the others converse? Smartass! This is the universal language overlords decided to be the Unified dialect of all cultivators! And you’re also one, right? I can feel you have ... wait! You have two sparks? What the fuck?’
Even though the thing was lecturing Lee on politeness, it couldn’t resist and swore in the end. But Lee had hard ti digesting everything he just heard.
’Hey, kiddo! Wake up!’ The voice said, ’Co, put your hand on , on the top of the glowing part!’
It was sothing Lee initially intended to do, but for the first ti, he lost his confidence and faltered.
’Co on! I won’t bite!’ The voice said, ’You were walking all over for the past days. Why are you so scared all of the sudden?’
A loud gulp echoed through the small grotto as Lee heavily swallowed, but in the end he took a deep breath and put his left hand on the mushroom’s cap.
The next mont he regretted it, though. He felt like his mind was going to explode from all the energy that seemingly from out of nowhere rushed inside of him. Fortunately, nothing bad happened.
’How peculiar!’ Lee heard the elderly voice again, but this ti, when it spoke, the words echoed in his consciousness almost as if it was a large hall, ’How in the world you managed to ignite two sparks? ... oh, wait! They aren’t yours! Then how did you ... don’t tell you tried to eat these things? Hahaha! Are you stupid or sothing?’
Lee knew he kind of was, but only the first ti. And he wouldn’t call it stupidity, but rather ignorance.
’I had a few accidents.’ He awkwardly thought to himself, but apparently he was heard.
’In all my years I’ve never seen soone so unlucky.’ The voice said, ’Or maybe lucky, I don’t know. Elental warriors are the lowest form of cultivators, in fact, they are the only ones to consider themselves being ones. No one who has ignited their own spark takes them seriously. Can you even use any of the two?’
’Not really.’ Lee thought, ’Can you tell more about them?’
’Find a teacher and ask them. I’ve no ti for that!’ The voice said, and Lee loudly sighed.
’As I thought! Either because of the lack of oxygen due to the diving, or because I’ve really inhaled so shit, I’m hallucinating.’ He thought to himself. Sohow he had to co to his senses to get out of here.
’Dumbass!’ The voice inside his head cursed him, ’eting is the biggest honor of your life! I was right the first ti, you are stupid!’
’Right, right!’ Lee grinned, ’How co anything you say I sohow already know, huh? From the mont I got here I’m conversing with myself!’
’You’re questioning ? You want proof? I’ll give you the proof! What do you want to know?’ For so reason the voice was getting all worked up, ’I’ve been around for a long ti and I’ve seen all there is to see! Elental warriors like you are nothing. Elental lords and even overlords have co to look for my sparks back in the day! And that was before they killed all the beasts around here! I even seen that seal you have on your right palm!’
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