It took nearly an hour of idle chatter and awkward hovering before the princess and Lianna finally left. The princess had tried to feed him sweet buns, while Lianna had alternated between making barbed comments and studying him with suspicious eyes, as if she thought he was faking his condition.
When the door finally closed behind them, Grim slumped back against his pillows with relief.
"Finally," he muttered, then focused his thoughts inward. "Alright, voice. Just you and me now. Time for some answers."
Silence.
"Don't start this shit now. I know you're there," Grim insisted mentally. "What are you, really? And don't give me that 'I know what you know' bullshit again."
[I am... restricted in what I can reveal,] the voice finally responded.
"Restricted by what? Or whom?" Grim pressed. "The god who sent me here?"
[That is a reasonable assumption.]
Grim's frustration mounted. Always these vague, elusive answers that revealed nothing useful.
"Fine. Let's try something else. You know things about this world's cultivation that I couldn't possibly know. You understood what was happening when I reached 100% capacity. You know about this 'restarting' ability. So clearly, you have independent knowledge. Why pretend otherwise?"
[I am... permitted to provide certain information under specific circumstances,] the voice admitted reluctantly. [Your reaching 100% capacity triggered such a circumstance.]
Grim sat up straighter, sensing he was finally getting somewhere. "Then I want answers. Real answers, not your cryptic nonsense."
[I can provide one direct answer to a question of your choosing,] the voice stated, its tone more formal than usual. [Choose carefully]
"Just one?" Grim scoffed. "That's hardly—"
[Or,] the voice interrupted, [I could provide you with information that would allow you to master the Celestial Mist Sword Dao faster than anyone before you. The choice is yours.]
Grim paused, caught off guard by the offer. Knowledge about his own situation versus mastery of the sword techniques his father was teaching him. Both were valuable in different ways.
"You better not be fucking lying," Grim warned mentally. "If I choose the sword techniques, I want real, usable information."
[I cannot lie to you directly,] the voice replied. [Though I may be limited in what I can reveal.]
Grim weighed his options. The question about the voice's nature burned in his mind, but practical knowledge that could increase his power might be more immediately useful.
"Tell me how to master the Celestial Mist Sword Dao," he decided.
[A practical choice,] the voice approved. [The key to mastering the Celestial Mist techniques lies in the relationship between your mana heart and the techniques themselves. You can restart your mana heart to increase its capacity, but there is an important caveat: if you restart when below 60% capacity, you will be unable to form additional mana hearts later.]
"What?" Grim exclaimed aloud, then continued mentally, "That's a pretty fucking important detail you left out earlier."
[You didn't ask for complete information earlier,] the voice pointed out. [If you wish to progress quickly without the risks of continuous fainting or worse, I would suggest forming your second mana heart before considering a restart. This would give you a stable base for more advanced cultivation.]
Grim processed this information. "So I should work on forming a second heart next, rather than restarting my first heart?"
[For optimal development, yes. A single heart at 130% capacity is powerful, but the structural stability of having two hearts offers greater advantages for sword techniques, particularly the more advanced forms of the Celestial Mist Sword Dao.]
Something occurred to Grim then. "Wait, if my heart is at 100% capacity now, shouldn't I be more powerful? I don't feel that different."
[You have expanded your heart to full capacity, but you haven't filled it with the specific mana you need,] the voice explained. [Currently, you've been using both water and light mana to expand your heart's structure. Now, you need to focus on filling it with water mana specifically.]
"Wait, so I haven't been filling it all this time?" Grim asked incredulously. "What the hell have I been doing then?"
[You've been feeding it mana to expand and increase your capacity,] the voice clarified. [Think of it as building a larger container. Now you need to fill that container with the right substance to utilize its full potential.]
Grim ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?"
[You did not ask.]
"I'm asking now," Grim growled mentally. "Explain everything about how this works. And don't leave anything out this time."
[Very well. Strength in this world comes from several factors,] the voice began. [First is foundation—the physical body and basic mana pathways. Second is mana hearts—both quantity and quality. Third is circulation—how effectively one can move mana through circuits, conduits, and mana points. Finally, there is affinity.]
The voice continued, [The six primary elements in this world are fire, water, earth, wind, light, and dark. These elements exist and can be like oil and water. Light repels dark. Dark repels light. Fire repels water. Earth repels wind. Wind repels water. And water repels fire.]
"So my water affinity gives me an advantage against fire users, like Lianna," Grim mused.
[Correct. And your light affinity would be effective against those with dark affinity. The strength of your affinity determines the magnitude of this effect. For example, someone with one fully maximized mana heart using water could potentially defeat someone with two 60%-filled hearts using fire, depending on the other factors I mentioned.]
Grim contemplated this information. "And what about dual affinities? How rare are they really?"
[Dual affinities occur in approximately one in ten thousand individuals. Triple affinities are so rare that they're perhaps seen one in several million. Most people have a single affinity, and about one in twenty, have no elemental affinity at all.]
"And dual cultivation? My father seemed shocked that I could handle both water and light simultaneously."
[Simultaneous cultivation of opposing elements typically requires a minimum of three fully developed mana hearts to handle the strain on one's pathways. Your ability to do so with a single heart is... unusual.]
"Part of my gift," Grim guessed.
[That seems a reasonable conclusion.]
Grim leaned back, processing everything he'd learned. "So to maximize my potential right now, I should fill my heart with water mana, then work on forming a second heart before considering any restarts."
[That would be the optimal path.]
"And how do I fill my heart with water mana specifically? Is it different from what I've been doing?"
[Yes. Rather than drawing in both water and light mana simultaneously, focus exclusively on water. Instead of expanding your heart, visualize the mana being stored within it, like filling a vessel with liquid. When properly filled, you should feel a noticeable increase in your ability to manipulate water.]
Grim closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses to feel the water mana around him—in the air's humidity, in his cup of water, even in his own body. He drew it in slowly, directing it toward his mana heart.
This time, instead of letting it flow through and expand the heart's capacity, he concentrated on containing it within the heart's boundaries, like pouring water into a bowl.
The sensation was distinctly different—a cool, flowing feeling spreading through his chest rather than the pressure of expansion he'd experienced before. As the water mana accumulated, Grim felt a growing connection to the element, as if he could sense every drop of water in the room with heightened awareness.
[Good,] the voice approved. [You're filling the heart correctly now.]
After several minutes of this focused cultivation, Grim opened his eyes. Experimentally, he gestured toward his cup of water on the bedside table. The liquid trembled, then rose in a wobbly column before he lost control, and it splashed back down.
"Holy sh—" Grim caught himself. "That was easier than before." Previously, such manipulation would have required intense concentration and left him tired.
[Your affinity's strength increases as your heart fills with aligned mana,] the voice explained. [At 100% capacity and fully filled, your water manipulation should be approximately four times more powerful and efficient than when your heart was at 80% capacity.]
Grim grinned, already imagining the applications. If he could improve his water control this dramatically, his mastery of the Ethereal Mist technique would advance rapidly. And when he learned Drifting Mist Step...
"One last question," Grim said, his tone serious. "You said you can't lie to me directly, but can you lie by omission? Have you been withholding important information that could help me or protect me?"
The silence that followed was answered enough.
"I thought so," Grim muttered. "Let's make a deal. I won't push you about your nature or limitations anymore if you promise not to withhold critical information that could affect my safety or progress. Fair?"
[I... can agree to those terms within my constraints,] the voice finally replied.
Grim wasn't entirely satisfied, but it was progress. The voice clearly had its own agenda or restrictions, but at least now he had a better understanding of his cultivation path forward.