God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

He saw his life flash before his eyes once again...

He felt like he was getting electrocuted on a full stomach. This terrifying experience overwhelmed his entire being, making him wish for death over and over again.

This was to be expected, as he was doing this without any concrete preexisting knowledge on the subject, especially when it came to the delicate matters of the soul. Without proper guidance, this was bound to happen.

His soul was being overrun by mana. He didn't have sufficient preparations in order, and as a result, he was about to lose his life. There was nothing he could do about it, as the endless tidal waves of arcane energy flooded his sinking soul.

There was a reason why this stage claimed the most victims. Only those favored by fate, as well as those with sufficient preparations, could survive this stage.

There were especially controlled environments that could dampen the strength and intensity of the mana Influx, increasing the probability of success for the individual.

But Cain had access to none of that. Even the very heavens were against his favor and would want nothing more than to see him perish.

However, how could the incarnation of the Golden Dragon be easily defeated so easily...

With a roar that could pierce the heavens themselves, Cain glowed golden. Golden veins stretched across the surface of his skin, and the runes on his body shone brilliantly.

ARGHHHH!!!

His field of vision was filled with interwoven colors. Suddenly, it was gone. That stream of mana that threatened to swallow his soul was swept away by the golden glow that was emanating from his body. He didn't understand what was going on at all.

This moment of respite, however, was what was needed for him to get a grip on reality. He endured the surging pangs of pain, and eventually got a hold over his spinning senses.

He used his soul to observe his surroundings. He noticed something odd almost immediately. Contrary to what he had expected, the golden glow that surrounded his body wasn't pushing the waves of mana back. Rather, it was burning the ever-flowing currents like it was merely a fuel source.

The mana was being consumed by the golden glow that burned like ferocious flames all about him.

"What the hell?!"

Fully expecting death, Cain was surprised to see that he was still amongst the living. He was ready to go down into the Yellow River, but his most precious skill had once again saved his life. Feeling gratitude to Ashur, in this case, himself, he studied his surroundings.

The golden glow around him acted like a fire, treating the mana around him like firewood. This was apparently the only way he could have saved himself from certain death, as it had managed to stop the flow of mana.

Now, Cain finally understood a bit. Skills and spells were created as a result of the interaction between the soul and internal mana of an individual with the environmental mana and the spiritual realm.

From what he now understood about the skill, {Golden Blood} activated the hidden potential in his soul, and infused mana according to the mana flow patterns necessary to activate the necessary set of sequences to produce the desired effect.

Although the skill had evolved to {Golden Body}, he was still capable of using the old form, {Golden Blood}. Although it was weaker, or only consumed a bit of his mana and stamina, it was more sustainable.

With how powerful the skill was, Cain could only admit that it was truly the work of a genius. The complexity involved in this skill's creation was nothing short of incredible, and Cain was sure as hell that he still didn't understand even half of what the skill pertained to. It was through this skill that he was able to activate {Eye of Clairvoyance}.

He had seen in his earlier visions that the Golden Dragon, Ashur, was also in possession of the same set of skills.

However, no matter how powerful Ashur was, he was still killed in the end. The powerful and almighty Golden Dragon was put to death by a great adversary. If he wanted to cross the hurdles that his incarnation couldn't overcome, he would have to push on and strive to do better than him. To do this, he would have to go through greater and more terrible circumstances.

Only the finest of gold could survive the flames. He needed to polish himself in the hottest of flames to know if he was worth bearing the burdens of his predecessor. If he couldn't, then he would accept his fate, and die trying, as there was no reason to live if he couldn't accomplish his goals. That is what he truly believed...

Through the curtain of gold, he could observe the mana flow patterns better. Not only was his body coated with the golden aura, but his soul was also protected. What this meant, however, was that although he was safe from the powerful mana currents, he was unable to make any contact with them. Any steps involving progression on the path of the runecrafter could not be skipped.

If he wanted to become a runecrafter, he would have to find a way. The {Golden Blood} skill was a way to completely stop mana from flowing into his soul, but he still needed to come in contact with mana if he wanted to progress.

Cain sat there for a while, deep in thought on what to do. He finally decided on the most brutal and savage course of action to take. What he wanted to do was very dangerous, and would have his life balanced on the knife's edge. He planned on doing what he had initially done until he had grasped the right method to control mana.

He would keep going at this, with his life hanging on the balance to serve as a sort of compelling force. Maybe he would be able to force his potential out when he recalled the sword of Damocles hanging over his head...

He had made up his mind. Even if it killed him, he would still do it. No risk, no reward. This was the attitude Cain had that kept him going through the hard times.

He deactivated the {Golden Blood} skill, and let the mana flow into his soul once again. It took some time, but once again, his soul was abruptly filled with mana that threatened to burst him apart. It came without warning, and he was once again brought to the point of death.

He had seen the light for a brief moment, but with a soul-reviving roar filled with rage and the will to survive, he managed to push through it again as he activated {Golden Blood} once more.

The tides of mana were pushed back again, and he could finally take a breath. Mentally drained, beads of sweat rolled down his brows, as he realized he had infinitesimally close to death in the last one.

Gritting his teeth, he knew he couldn't give up. He had to do it again, and again, and again, until he either got what he desired, or he lost his life trying.

He rested for a while, and repeated the same process, coming very close to death once more, before activating his lifesaver. He repeated the process over and over again until he began to see signs of improvement.

Previously, he was only able to hang on

for about a few seconds, but after almost 50 trials, he could last for a few minutes, before he saw the gates of hell.

What Cain didn't know, was that he was experiencing a special phenomenon that was unique to only himself since the beginning of the universe. When attempting mana control, most individuals would have already died, while those who did survive and managed to gain control only had to face the grueling process once. He, on the other hand, was forced to endure it over and over again.

This created a case that was a bit special in all the universe. His soul had become so saturated with mana, a strange resonance was beginning to build up within him.

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

Suddenly, like a beating heart, the resonance between his soul and the spiritual realm began to drown out Cain's senses.

It was like the floodgates had opened...

As mana flowed into his soul one more time, rather than trying to block it out, for the first time, Cain didn't do that. Rather, he embraced the feeling. At first, he began to feel a little claustrophobic, but he stopped fighting. He suddenly entered a state of enlightenment.

"Embrace with the soul, feel the warmth of the divine..."

Like a silent whisper in the night, this thought echoed in the depths of his soul. He let go...

He didn't try to go against the flow anymore.

Subconsciously, he had still been resisting the flow of the mana, and as such, was not able to cross the final barrier. But he had finally let go...

He embraced the arcane and allowed the endless current to carry his soul. His would was instantly infused with large amounts of mana, making the already saturated soul, full to the brim with mana. All the mana in his soul, having nowhere to go, began to condense.

It began as a subtle beat, finally stretching out into a full heartbeat. The object that had suddenly formed within his soul had begun to resonate with the spiritual realm, as his soul began to exert influence on the mana around him. The complex mana flow patterns in the spiritual realm were now visible to him.

He had done it. He hadn't given up and had managed to accomplish what he had initially thought impossible. He was brought out from the depths of his despair through his efforts alone.

ROAR!!!

From the depths of his soul, a roar of victory was sent out towards the heavens, mocking them at their failure. The voice was very foreign and was unlike anything he had ever heard before...

"Come what may... Nothing can stop me from grasping my fate, severing the strings of Karma, and turning the wheel of samsara with my own hands. Even if the heavens try to stop me, I shall not bend! No... I shall fight against the very heavens themselves!!!"

He roared his heart out into the ceiling of the room. His yells shook the very foundations of the ground beneath him, and the very weather began to change. For the first time in a while, the clouds stirred, and a light shower of rain began to kiss the earth after what felt like a millennium.

Cain had unknowingly caused a change in the atmospheric mana in the entire vicinity. He had managed to take one more important step in becoming a runecrafter, as well as becoming something that the universe had not seen in its history.

{Congratulations to the host... The power of your skill, {Mana Heart} has greatly increased, as well as acquired a few new functions...}

{You have been granted the skill {Soul sense} due to your efforts}.

{Level up!}