After enjoying a surreal journey through a tunnel of swirling green lights, Micro arrived in a beautiful new world. Trees with golden leaves decorated a serene landscape where small animals and birds filled the air with songs and cries. He couldn’t see a sun in the sky, but it was full of orange and red clouds, as if the sun was eternally setting just behind the horizon.

  “Nice…” Micro mumbled. For a moment, his only thought as he stepped away from the shimmering portal was one of gratitude that he was able to experience such a beautiful place with human senses. However, his feeling of relief was soon interrupted.

  THUD

  “What the—” He blurted out as the weight of his own body drove him to his knees with heavy sound. A small crater formed beneath him with the impact that made his legs numb. He tried to stand up, but the more he tried, the more weight he felt dragging him back down to the ground. He struggled for hours to get up off of his hands and knees before finally managing to lift his head back up to look around. However, knowing that there were Core Cards waiting for him somewhere in the dungeon, he forced himself to stand up despite the pain.

  His first step was excruciating, and the second step was no easier. He took a third step, and his legs finally gave out. It took him another few hours to catch his breath and recover his strength, but again he was only able to take three steps. By the end of his first day there, he ended up walking a total of thirteen steps before feeling like he needed to sleep. Just before closing his eyes, however, he heard a familiar sound.

  “You got quite far!” Kel called out from behind him. “I knew you’d be excited to challenge this dungeon, master!”

  “I’m…” Micro mumbled. “Heavy…”

  “You may fault the turtle for moving slowly, but being in a rush hasn’t helped you much,” Kel explained slowly with an air of wisdom. “We must listen before we act—”

  “You can walk…?” Micro asked after catching his breath He slowly turned his head, still unable to lift it all the way up, and saw Kel stifling a laugh behind him. Micro wondered why the grinning young man was able to move so effortlessly through the impossible gravity of the forest.

  “It really is impressive that you made it a few steps on will alone, but you’ll have a much easier time walking here once you’ve learned to apply your internal energies in different ways,” Kel replied casually as he raised his hand. “For example…”

  Micro lifted his eyes just enough to focus on Kel’s hand. Kel confirmed he had Micro’s attention, then snapped his fingers once, creating a small clicking sound that didn’t surprise Micro in any particular way.

  “Now I’ll fill the muscles in my arm with as much energy as I can,” Kel continued. “Watch this, master.”

  SNAP

  A sound like a small thunderclap erupted from Kel’s hand at the flick of his finger. The last of Micro’s strength left him as the shockwave hit him, and he fell to the ground with a grunt. Kel massaged his reddened finger as he walked over to Micro with a guilty smile on his face.

  “I apologize for my tone, master,” Kel said with a friendly smile. “In my arrogance and pride, I may have found it cathartic to see one as powerful as you struggling in this way. But I am certain you will overcome this challenge with ease in very little time.”

  “Thanks, Kel…” Micro grunted.

  “Now, would you like to spend some more time here, or would you like to make some preparations?” Kel asked sincerely. “I will be of service to you in either case.”

  “I need to prepare…” Micro replied with a pained nod.

  “Then let’s get you to bed, and we’ll start your training in the morning,” Kel chuckled as he picked Micro up off the ground and wrapped his limp arm around his shoulder.

  “Thanks, Kel…” Micro replied as he was dragged back toward the shimmering portal.

  ~

  Once they were back in the beautifully decorated cavern, Micro breathed a sigh of relief at being able to move freely again.

  “You’re lucky, master,” Kel said, his smile undoubtedly smug. “The Jade Fire Mountain Art dungeon is a forgiving trial. You can come and go as you please, and there are a number of rewards available to those who challenge it.”

  “Rewards?”

  “Most of the skills practiced by our disciples are thanks to the many cards hidden throughout this dungeon,” Kel explained. “And just like the Turtle Art Dungeon, time passes at a much different pace there. We estimate that two or three days in the Fire Mountain Art dungeon are equal to the passing of about one second back in this world.”

  “That’s convenient…” Micro yawned.

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  “Indeed, but you can never be sure how long you’ll be required to participate in a dungeon trial,” Kel went on. “For example, the amber level dungeon gate where we dispatched a team of guards could have the opposite effect. What if you entered it today but weren’t able to leave it for a hundred years or more?”

  “That would be inconvenient.” Micro nodded as his eyes began to close.

  “I agree, master. Now, let’s rest properly, this time.” Kel smiled, and the two continued their trek into the mountainside sect.

  ~

  Micro was surprised to learn that most of the sect’s temple was built inside the mountain. It had been constructed gradually over the course of hundreds of years. Beautifully crafted tunnels led to all sorts of places full of people, though Micro couldn’t help but feel their standard of living was lacking.

  “No plastic anywhere, huh…?” Micro mumbled to himself. “And no lightbulbs… poor ventilation…”

  “Is everything alright, master?” Kel asked, still wearing a proud expression as he introduced the mountain temple.

  “Your home is very…” Micro began to reply, but Kel’s expression made him pause. “It’s very warm.”

  Kel’s enthusiasm only grew after receiving such a compliment, creating a jovial atmosphere in the halls they passed through. Everyone greeted Kel politely as he walked by, though they offered a more curious and tentative glance to Micro. They passed a library, a training facility, and a large conference room before coming to a door with Kel’s name on it.

  “Here, we’ll be sleeping here tonight,” Kel announced as he opened the door, revealing a much bigger room than Micro had been staying in before the explosion. It was decorated modestly by comparison, but Micro estimated one could park at least ten small trucks inside with room to spare. A fire burned in the centre of the room, the smoke rising up to a hole in the rock ceiling.

  “Some ventilation…!” Micro said with an approving nod, though Kel didn’t hear him.

  An attendant not much older than Rose followed them swiftly into the room and began to prepare tea for the two of them without a word. He thought it was impressive that she was able to move so gracefully despite the shield on her back. Micro waved, but she had already prepared the tea and left before he could say hello.

  “Please, enjoy a cup with me,” Kel said, inviting him to join him by the fire. “There’s plenty of time to rest. The change of pace has been a blessing to this sleepy old sect!”

  “Thanks, Kel,” Micro took the cup and drank it down quickly, realizing only after he had finished it how thirsty he was. He leaned back on the floor where he sat, then he noticed Kel looking at him with bright eyes. “Is something wrong, Kel?”

  “Forgive me, master,” Kel replied quickly without his usual formality. “Might I ask about the shape of your core? I’ll admit I caught a glimpse of your soul, only for the briefest of moments, but even now as I recall it, I struggle to discern its shape. It was angular, and dense… It was unlike anything I’d ever seen!”

  “What is your soul like?” Micro asked in return.

  “Mine?” Kel raised his eyebrows. “Mine is the same shape as I am! I was born with it, after all. There are certainly those who possess souls of a rare nature but for a soul to be of a completely different nature to the body is unthinkable. One would think it impossible for the two to function as one, but—”

  Kel stopped to clear his throat and leaned back slightly.

  “Forgive me, master,” he spoke with his formal tone restored. “What I mean to say is that my soul, as most humans’ are, is the same shape as my physical being, more or less. And like most cultivators, my core is a sphere.”

  “Spheres are an efficient shape,” Micro noted. “But I wouldn’t feel at home in one.”

  “I have heard of powerful cultivators, too powerful even for us to imagine, shaping their core as they see fit, but most cultivators struggle even to form a perfect sphere,” Kel continued. “That’s why yours is so…”

  “Ah, it’s just a garage,” Micro explained quickly. “It’s where I was always parked back home. It seemed like the obvious thing to make.”

  “You were able to use a storm of energy to recreate a physical structure, which was then capable of housing such a powerful soul as yours?” Kel asked, then looked around his room with wide eyes. “I can’t imagine trying to recreate this room in such a manner. I have spent my life calling it my own room, but to recreate it within your thoughts with such integrity…”

  “Well, it’s not a place I ever thought about. I couldn’t think when I was actually there. That’s a new thing I can do, like walking…” Micro thought aloud. “It’s more like I just… knew…”

  “You didn’t think, but you knew…” Kel whispered. “I see… That is indeed incredible…”

  “I wouldn’t say that!” Micro laughed. “It’s a humble garage, as garages go. Most cars park somewhere much fancier. But home is home, after all…”

  Micro’s tone became more somber as he spoke, and Kel leaned in to keep the conversation moving.

  “Our sect teaches familiarity with the shield so that it becomes easier to manifest and control,” Kel said while pointing to the heavy shield which he wore on his back even while sitting down to drink tea. “That familiarity makes it an extension of ourselves.”

  “What about your swords?” Micro asked. “Those are dangerous.”

  “We do practice with the sword, but it is more of a tool than a weapon,” Kel replied. “The sword played a greater role in previous generations of our sect, but they are mostly ornaments to us now.”

  “It’s a decoration?” Micro gasped. “But they’re so—”

  Micro suddenly covered his mouth, recalling conversations between his driver and his son.

  “Well, if you think it’s a treasure, then that’s what it is,” Micro concluded. “I’m sure lots of treasures are rusty and—”

  Micro suddenly paused as a familiar scent found his nose. He turned his head to see the servant from before holding a large bag.

  “Thank you!” Micro said as he lunged toward the girl. She released the bag quickly and quickly left the room, and Micro returned to his spot near Kel with a wide smile.

  Kel continued to explain various aspects of cultivation, the soul, and types of energy while Micro ate. However, it wasn’t long before he noticed that Micro had fallen asleep by the fire without a sound. Though disappointed at first, Kel quickly fetched a blanket to set atop the seemingly unimposing boy and then retreated to his own sleeping mat, beside which he rested his shield.

  “His patience is unparalleled, but his pace is difficult to fathom…” Kel mumbled as he recalled the week’s events. Soon, Kel was also asleep.