The journey to Voltaic Blaze Canyon carried Theon through Serenera's untamed heart. Ancient forests loomed, their canopies fracturing sunlight into shifting gold. Beyond them, rolling hills offered sweeping vistas—emerald wilderness under an endless sky, dotted with vibrant blooms.
Then, the air changed.
A metallic tang prickled his tongue. The distant growl of thunder rolled across the rocks, though no storm clouds marred the sky. Up ahead, the canyon yawned wide, its depths alive with an eerie glow—flames that danced without fuel, arcs of electricity lashing the stone like whips.
Voltaic Blaze Canyon. He had made it.
Theon picked his way down the canyon's jagged throat, boots scraping against rock seared black by centuries of lightning. Heat pulsed in waves, the air thick with the snap of wild energies. Above him, arcs of electricity split the crimson haze—nature's fury made spectacle. Beautiful. Lethal.
He paused, scanning the scarred walls for any sign of the canyon's inhabitants. This place wasn't just raw energy; it was a living, breathing danger. A sudden hiss made him whirl, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword. A Coil Viper, its scales shimmering with residual lightning, lay coiled on a nearby ledge, its head swaying, fangs twitching. Theon held its gaze for a long moment, a silent negotiation of territory, before it slowly uncoiled and slithered away into the crevices, its body crackling faintly.
Finding an appropriate spot, Theon drew a formation on the floor to help him with the process of absorbing the lightning Lu.
He willed his Lu into the [Ouroboros Ring], feeling the familiar shift as the metal began to convulse and stretch, spreading like a virus across his hand. The transformation was smooth yet unsettling, the silver surface shimmering as it expanded and molded itself to his skin. When the process was complete, his hand was encased in a fine, silver glove. Each fingertip ended in sharp claws, delicate yet deadly, the extensions finely honed for precision.
This was [Delicate Fangs] — a feature of the [Ouroboros Ring] that allowed for extraordinary control over Lu. The claws, acting like syringes, could direct Lu with surgical accuracy, a technique he'd found immensely useful not only in formation formation but also in crafting complex pills.
Now kneeling, Theon's fingers flew across the surface, etching lines that shimmered as if threatening to burst. Months in the Sylvian Empire's archives, weeks of grinding repetition in that buried bunker —his proficiency with formations had increased leaps and bounds since he had first encountered them, now he could quickly employ a formation and identify all formations he had previously encountered.
The triple formation he envisioned would serve three purposes—amplifying incoming Lu, guiding its flow to match his meridian pathways, and accelerating healing.
Theon's approach had evolved drastically since his first attempt with multiple formations—in the cryogenic chambers. Back then, he'd drawn each formation separately before linking them together—a crude but functional method. Now, after absorbing the full breadth of the Sylvian's legacies, he no longer needed such inelegant measures. A single, layered design would suffice—each tier serving as a distinct formation, woven seamlessly into one.
Theon exhaled, centering himself as he pressed his fingertips to the scorched earth. The first layer took shape—a spiraling lattice of runes that pulsed with hungry light. This was the amplifier, its jagged edges designed to rip raw Lu from the storm-choked air and force it inward.
His hand moved again—swifter now, tracing the second tier in fluid arcs. The conduit formation bloomed under his touch, its pathways mirroring the exact flow of his meridians. Where the amplifier was brute force, this was precision; where the first layer seized power, this one tamed it.
A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he etched the final layer. The restoration matrix flickered to life, its interlocking rings glowing a muted gold. It would act as both shield and sieve: repairing his torn meridians as fast as the lightning Lu tore through them, ensuring his body didn't crumble under the storm's generosity.
But before he activated the formation, he had one final preparation. [Delicate Fangs] wasn't only useful for formations, it was also useful for pills.
And a pill was exactly what he needed for what was to come.
From his pack, Theon pulled out a collection of herbs he had gathered along the journey through Serenera: Ardentroot, a vibrant, crimson root known for its affinity with fire Lu; Voltshade leaves, dark and jagged, carried the essence of lightning; lastly, Stonebark sap, a thick, amber liquid from a rare tree found in the Sylvian Empire, an ancient remedy for pain endurance.
Theon had learned the recipe for the pill from the vast database in the bunker, a treasure trove of knowledge that spanned generations of alchemists. Now, he had to put that knowledge into practice.
He ground the Ardentroot into a fine powder, its fiery essence releasing a faint warmth into the air. Next, he shredded the Voltshade leaves, the edges of the plant crackling faintly with residual lightning Lu. The Stonebark sap came last, its thick consistency binding the ingredients together as Theon mixed them into a sticky paste.
But the true alchemy came next.
Threads of his own Lu spiraled from his fingertips, guided by the needle-like precision of [Delicate Fangs]. Too much, and the concoction would explode; too little, and it'd be worthless. The paste hissed, resisting—until suddenly, it shivered into cohesion. A pill took form in his palm, its surface glazed like a miniature stormcloud, flickering with inner fire.
Theon held the completed pill in his hand, studying it for a moment. Everything was ready. His body prepared, the formation set, and now this pill — his final safeguard against the coming storm.
The moment the pill touched his tongue, the formation blazed to life.
'Now.'
The [Ouroboros Ring] hit the ground with a metallic clink, weakening his natural constitution as much as possible to make it easier for the lightning to rip him apart.
Positioned at the center of the formation, Theon closed his eyes and began the controlled breathing exercises ingrained in his cultivation techniques.
He had four to fix. Two on the right: one towards the middle of his spine, connecting to his shoulder, the other diverged from the same point and went backwards, stopping at his shoulder plate. Two on the left: one diverged downwards from his collar, stopping in the middle of his ribs, the other diverged from slightly above where the right side diverged, in the middle of his spine, but unlike the right side, the left side diverged downwards and reconnected at the pelvis.
The air itself screamed in protest as Voltaic Blaze Lu speared into him, surging through the path of least resistance, ravaging Theon's internal channels. It found his Formless Lightning Lu waiting—and the collision was catastrophic. Despite both being forms of lightning, they refused to coexist, the formless lightning violently rejecting the presence of its structured counterpart.
The initial impact was brutal, even with the use of the pill. It felt like his body was being torn apart from the inside, the tendrils of raw electricity wreaking havoc in his system. His meridians trembled under the strain, threatening to collapse as the two forces fought for dominance.
A sickening crack echoed through his chest as a rib gave way. Blood, thick with the tang of copper and ozone, flooded his mouth. Yet through the maelstrom of pain, Theon's mind remained ever focused. Every clash between the two lightning forces sent shockwaves through his nervous system. His vision blurred, his mind straining to stay focused as the pain threatened to consume him. But, Theon knew this was just the beginning.
With a deep breath, he willed his own Lu to aid the Voltaic Blaze Lu, urging it to subdue the Formless Lightning Lu faster. On its own, the Voltaic Blaze Lu would eventually overpower the rogue energy, but Theon didn't have the luxury of time. The process needed to be accelerated.
Drawing in another breath, Theon steeled himself for the next step. He directed his controlled Lu to guide the Voltaic Blaze Lu to pierce through his meridians, forcibly opening new pathways. Agony became a living thing, not a sensation but a tangible force, carving through his very essence with claws of white-hot lightning. This wasn't mere pain—it was an unraveling, a dismantling of his physical form as if the universe itself sought to peel him apart atom by atom, thread by agonizing thread.
Yet his focus never wavered.
Every thought bent to one purpose: control the uncontrollable.
Theon's focus narrowed. It was like taming a wild beast—each misstep could send the lightning spiraling out of control, tearing through his body in a catastrophic explosion. Every second of control was a victory, but the effort required was immense. His target was clear: he needed to outline the energy around his left-side ribs, mirroring the natural contours of his body.
Then—
HWHOOH
A rupture.
A meridian beneath his ribs burst open, and the world dissolved into electric fire. His spine arched as raw power flooded his system, neurons screaming under the onslaught. Blood erupted from every orifice—crimson tears, ruby droplets from his ears, a grotesque masterpiece painted across stone. The Scarlet Lifeblood Pendant at his throat pulsed like a second heart, its glow deepening to violet as stolen vitality wove through his ravaged channels.
Through the haze of torment, progress emerged. The lightning's fury began to flow, channeled through reforged pathways. Along the way a connection snapped into place between rib and collarbone—a momentary respite as energy circulated smoother, cooler.
Theon didn't hesitate. 'Just one' he thought 'One more.
With a guttural snarl, he shoved the remaining current forward, his mind a burning crucible of defiance Lightning shrieked through fresh meridians, each inch gained a battle against annihilation. His shoulder blade seared as the energy took root, completing the circuit around his ribs.
One fourth of the way there.