...
Finishing his coffee, Cassian sat back, idly spinning in the chair as he mentally replayed the plan. It was dangerous… borderline suicidal and this brief moment of calm would likely be the last bit of peace he’d get. The next few hours would be brutal, both on his body and his mind.
He turned toward Dorian and Dr. Elira. “I’ll be preparing myself in the meantime. Try not to disturb me... and ignore any sounds or groans you might hear.”
Ignoring their reactions, Cassian centered himself, taking short measured breaths.
“Status”
Cassian frowned, his brows drawn tight in thought. The biggest issue was still his Essence pool. Even with the recent boosts, a cap of 42 was low—too low for what’s to come. If he only used it for shields and buffs, he’d already be scraping the bottom of the well by the time he reached the Mother of Kalrach. That was assuming no encounters on the way, which was… unlikely.
He bit his lip, running through thoughts and calculations in his head when a sudden idea struck.
Can I use The Well Beyond Wells card now? Prepare an extra Essence reservoir in advance.
It was risky, but if it worked, it could give him the edge he desperately needed. He nodded to himself.
Yeah… that’s what I’ll do. Also, I should absorb the rest of the attunement cards—every bit helps. I need to be in my peak state when the fight begins.
Cracking his knuckles, Cassian brought out three Creation Attunement cards. One by one, he crushed them, letting the warm, gentle energy flow through his body. A lightness bloomed in his chest—an overflowing vitality that pulsed with quiet strength.
“Nice,” he murmured, exhaling as he reached for the remaining two blue Knowledge Attunement cards in his Soulkeep. Crushing them, the fragments dissolved into motes of azure light, drifting into him like falling stars. This energy was different… cooler. It rushed to his mind, flooding his senses with a clarity he hadn’t known he was missing. Thoughts crystallized. Awareness sharpened.
“Fuuu~...” He let out a long breath, his pulse steadying.
System show only updated stats.
Cassian nodded to himself, satisfied, as he glanced over the updated stats. His HP had pushed into the 500s… that’s a solid upgrade. And more importantly, his Essence Well now sat at 48.
Good. Not perfect, but better.
He rubbed his chin, debating for a moment whether to absorb the Sacrifice Attunement card. His fingers hovered over it, but something about it made his skin crawl. After a long moment of hesitation, he slowly set it aside.
“Yeah… no. Not touching that. Weird feeling,” he muttered. “I’ll hold off for now.”
Turning his attention to the next task, he rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing himself. “All right, let’s rearrange the deck.”
He closed his eyes briefly, focusing.
“System, show me my current cards and all available choices,” he commanded. It’s way easier to sort from the system panel than summoning the Soulkeep every damn time.
The familiar interface flickered to life in front of him, casting a soft glow over his face as a detailed list of his deck cards and available options unfolded before his eyes.
…
? ARTIFACTS
? White Rose
? Sindivinity
? ?Empty?
…
“Huh… what does it mean by ‘not equipped’?” Cassian muttered, brow furrowed as he tapped on the [White Rose] artifact icon.
A new panel instantly popped up in response.
Cassian stared at the message for a second before slapping his forehead.
“Oh, come on… You mean this whole time the artifact wasn’t even active?” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Man, I’m a dumbass.”
Rolling his eyes at himself, he sighed. “Fine, yes—System, activate both artifacts.”
With a soft hum, both artifacts synced into his status. A faint pulse of energy flowed through him, subtle but distinct.
…
? ARTIFACTS
? White Rose
? Sindivinity
? ?Empty?
…
On that note, Cassian took a steady breath and held out his hand. Drawing on his essence, he summoned the artifact card.
Slowly, the dagger—Sindivinity—manifested into reality, hovering just above his palm. A pulse of dense, wordless emotion radiated from the weapon, washing over him like a wave. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, he felt it—an undeniable connection. The blade was alive in a way no weapon should be. It didn’t just hunger for battle—it hungered for souls. It wanted to be complete.
Cassian grimaced, forcing himself to break away from those intrusive feelings.
Man, this thing is intense. I really need to be careful with it.
Turning the dagger in his hand, he gave it a few cautious swings. The experience granted by [A Knight’s Squire] kicked in instinctively, refining his posture. The weapon felt balanced—lethal but elegant. He estimated the blade to be about twelve to fifteen inches in length.
Its design was distinctly alien: sleek, matte black, with faint crimson veins embedded across its surface. It felt less like forged metal and more like taut leather stretched over bone.
Letting out a soft sigh, Cassian dismissed the dagger, letting it dissolve back into essence. He had other things to focus on—for now.
System show me run cards.
…
? RUN CARDS
SLOTS: 5/5
? Firewave [DESTRUCTION SORCERY] {09/10}
? Lightning bolt [DESTRUCTION SORCERY] {14/25}
? Expedite [DESTRUCTION SORCERY] {16/25}
? Stone Golem [CREATION SUMMON] {03/10}
? Gravity well [KNOWLEDGE SPELL] {07/10}
[ HOLY BLESSING [CREATION INCANTATION], SMITE [CREATION INCANTATION], BLINK [KNOWLEDGE SPELL], HEAL [CREATION INCANTATION] {13/25}]
…
Cassian exhaled slowly, fingers hovering over the system panel as he mentally prepared for the reshuffle. This would be tough.
“I can safely swap out Expedite for Holy Blessing,” he muttered to himself, making the change. “And I’ll remove Lightning Bolt and Stone Golem… slot in Blink and Smite instead. Yeah, that should do it.”
It wasn’t an easy call. He’d come to rely on Expedite’s speed boost more times than he could count, and Lightning Bolt had been such a good spell, thinning out enemy mobs when things got overwhelming.
Stone Golem... that one hurt too. The construct had saved his life on more than one occasion.
But I have a deck summon that is rare tier… so yeah.
He lingered on the confirmation screen for a moment longer, fingers clenched.
“I’ll miss you,” he whispered, then tapped confirm. “Please… Smite, be worth it.”
…
? RUN CARDS
SLOTS: 5/5
? Firewave [DESTRUCTION SORCERY] {09/10}
? Smite [CREATION INCANTATION] {10/10}
? Holy Blessing [CREATION INCANTATION] {15/15}
? Blink [KNOWLEDGE SPELL] {15/15}
? Gravity well [KNOWLEDGE SPELL] {07/10}
…
Phew~ Deck cards time!
...
? DECK CARDS
SLOTS: 5/6
? A Knight’s Squire [CREATION PROFESSION]
? Rite of Bloodshed [SACRIFICE RITUAL]
? Piercing Light [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? Mana Shield [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? Life for life [SACRIFICE SORCERY]
?
[RITE OF BLOODSHED [SACRIFICE RITUAL], UNHOLY BLESSING [SACRIFICE SORCERY], SANGUINE BOND [SACRIFICE RITUAL, LIFEWEAVE SPECTRES [CREATION SUMMON], SUPREME VERDICT [CREATION INCANTATION], THE BEHEMOTH [DESTRUCTION SUMMON], LIFESTEAL [SACRIFICE SORCERY], TOXIC CONDUCTOR [DESTRUCTION SORCERY], NIMBLE FINGERS [KNOWLEDGE SPELL], HEART SWORDS [KNOWLEDGE SPELL], THE WELL BEYOND WELLS [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]]
...
“Damn… that’s a lot to work with,” he murmured, scrolling through the list his fingers tapping thoughtfully.
Around 11 reserve cards and 5 slotted cards… Nice! But first things first—Rite of Bloodshed and Life for Life are getting removed. I have better sources of heals and the rite of bloodshed could be good, but I need more than half an hour to make a damn ritual circle...
“Okay,” he muttered, “slot in Heart Swords… and The Well Beyond Wells...”
He paused, staring at the final open slot. His gaze flicked between Lifesteal and his available summons.
“I really want the Lifesteal… it'd be perfect for extended fights, especially up close. But losing ten essence points straight off the top?” He winced. “Too risky right now.”
After another second of silent debate, he sighed. “Yeah. Summon it is.”
? DECK CARDS
SLOTS: 6/6
? A Knight’s Squire [CREATION PROFESSION]
? Mana Shield [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? Piercing Light [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? Heart Swords [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? The well beyond wells [KNOWLEDGE SPELL]
? The Behemoth [DESTRUCTION SUMMON]
…
Okay, this is good… and I think the instant cards stay the same!
I guess it’s time for essence reservoir forming.
Cassian chose to sit cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the wall as he prepared himself. He closed his eyes and began focusing inward, steadying his breath, and letting his body relax. He searched for the subtle currents of his essence, trying to follow its rhythm with each heartbeat, each inhale.
Slowly, the world around him began to fade. The noise dulled. The dim lights disappeared behind his closed eyelids. In that growing silence, he could finally see it—a sea of flowing essence coursing through his body. Gentle, luminous, and vast.
But just as quickly as it appeared, the vision shattered.
Cassian’s eyes snapped open. He exhaled sharply, shaking off the break in focus.
I’m getting better with the meditation part… haa Time to proceed.
Channeling his energy into the card, he activated it with a calm breath and steady voice.
“[The Well Beyond Wells].”
“Essence Well.”
The backlash hit Cassian like a sledgehammer to the gut.
His chest tightened instantly, and he doubled over, gasping, choking on his breath—each inhale pained and labored, like trying to breathe through crushed lungs. He clawed at his shirt, desperate for air, his fingers trembling.
His vision flickered. Darkness and static buzzed at the edge of his awareness. A pair of firm hands caught him from behind, steadying him. He vaguely heard Dorian’s voice, calm and dry despite the chaos.
“Yeah, he does this from time to time,” Dorian said to Dr. Kaine. “Completely normal. Just get him some water.”
Cassian let out a low groan, the worst of the storm slowly passing. After nearly ten agonizing minutes, his breath steadied, though he remained slumped, drenched in sweat.
A soft chime pinged in his vision.
“Here. Drink some water,” Dorian said, handing Cassian an uncapped bottle.
Cassian grabbed it with both hands and gulped down half in seconds, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he exhaled sharply. “Thanks.”
“You scared the hell out of Elira and the kids,” Dorian muttered, half-amused, half-exasperated.
Cassian managed a weak grin. “Yeah, well, I’m prepping for a literal suicide mission. Better I as much as possible now”
“You done with whatever insanity that was?”
Cassian glanced at the lingering system messages floating in his vision, then shook his head. “Not yet. I need to do it again. In about twenty minutes.”
Dorian stared at him for a beat too long, his eyes unreadable, making Cassian shift uncomfortably. Finally, he gave a short nod. “Understood. Just… try not to sound like you're dying next time.”
With that, Dorian turned and walked back toward the table, joining Dr. Elira in reviewing the plans. Cassian watched him go, smirking faintly.
“Man wanted her dead yesterday, and now they’re on a first-name basis?” he muttered under his breath. “There’s something going on there.”
Chuckling to himself, he leaned back against the wall and pulled up his system log again.
That’s insane. My essence well is doubled now, and I can still make one more.
Weird how I didn’t get Essence Source Poisoning… maybe because this is a void-attuned card? Gotta test that more later.
He sighed.
Either meditate or nap until this damn debuff wears off… and then there’s still the wait for natural regen to fill me back up. Ugh.
…
After a long, grueling forty minutes, his essence well was finally full again. He tested it cautiously, using just a single point from the first reservoir—and confirmed that it didn’t regenerate. Good to know.
“Alright. Let’s do this again.” He steadied his breath and called out:
“[The Well Beyond Wells].”
“Essence well.”
...
Cassian clenched his jaw and bit down hard on a strip of cloth he’d rolled up earlier, bracing himself. The wave of pain, nausea, and vertigo slammed into him like a crashing tide.
But this time, he was ready.
...
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