Body. Aether. Soul.
The trinity of the universe.
They were connected and acted as a single whole…so what was the most important thing to consider in this regard?
"The most important thing is balance" Liam said and at the realization he stared up at the dragon, eyes wide with shock.
"I see you have realized it" the dragon spoke, his voice carrying a hint of approval.
"You are saying that my body is like this because somehow my body and soul are at an imbalance?"
The dragon revealed a toothy grin. Clearly, pleased with him.
The more Immortal Flame talked with Liam the more he took a liking to him. It had been a long time since he finally talked to someone and the feeling was refreshing.
"It is as you say. Your soul and body are so imbalanced that they are being detrimental to your entire core. Come" Immortal Flame raised a claw and tapped it against Liam's forehead and before he could even register what happened, he felt a mild electric shock travel down his spine before an explosion went off in his mind. His vision turned white.
Surprisingly, it wasn't painful at all instead it filled him with warmth.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing on the surface of a calm lake.
Awe took over his features as he looked around. The sky above stretched out like a dark canvas devoid of stars. He had never imagined that such a sight would ever be breathtaking and yet…here he was. Green clouds moved across the sky as though drawn by the expert brush of a master artist.
The skies were dark but the space was illuminated by a light coming from the distance. As though trying to mirror the skies above, green mist trailed across the surface of the calm lake.
'Wow' was all his mind could process.
Feeling a presence beside him, Liam turned to meet the dragon. Though he was currently smaller than before- being about the size of a two buses stacked.
"What happened? You are smaller than before" Liam couldn't help but ask.
"I cannot take my true form here lest I want your Sea of Soul to collapse and kill you" Immortal Flame simply explained.
"Sea of Soul? What's that?"
"It is better to show you" Immortal Flame walked forward, the surface of the lake not giving even a hint of a ripple despite the ancient dragon's size.
Liam took a step to follow causing the lake to ripple in his wake. Together the two walked towards the only source of light within his Sea of Soul. Liam had expected the light to blind him the closer they got to the source but to his surprise nothing of the sort happened.
The closer they got to it the more he could clearly make shape of it and the more the green mist surrounded them.
He felt a canopy of warmth embrace him from the wisps of green mist. It parted before him to create a path, almost as though it was welcoming him.
"What is that?" he asked
There at the end of the path, a round object floated above the surface of the lake. It shone with an ethereal light that swept throughout this entire space however it did not hurt to look at. The object was ovoid, and its surface was a covered by a dull brown shell that was cracked and broken in several places to reveal green light from within.
From what Liam could see about 40% of it's shell was broken.
The more Liam looked at the object the more he felt connected to it. The warmth that embraced him only became more apparent. It was familiar…
'It reminds me of my ability…wait'
"I see you have realized it" Immortal Flame's voice snapped him out of it.
"W-what is this thing?" Liam could feel his heart palpitating in his chest.
"Your Soul Seed" Immortal Flame gave him an amused look. "It is what you nurture and grow in order to gain strength. The closer it is to blooming to greater the capabilities you unlock. Right now your Soul Seed is halfway through the Shedding Stage"
"If you say that the Soul Seed is grown and nurtured then shouldn't my body be growing with it?" Liam pondered.
Immortal Flame's eyes shone with an approving light.
"Normally that is the case. A being is born with the Soul Seed at the Dormant Stage. Then through means of cultivation the seed is awakened at the Awakening Stage before moving on to the Cracking Stage where the outer shell of the seed begins to crack as the seed grows from within, the Shedding Stage where the shell begins to fall off, Blooming Stage where the seed grows and fully matures and finally World Manifestation where you develop a domain based on a particular concept that resonates with an individual."
Liam felt overwhelmed by all the information the dragon was giving him but at the same time he felt like he was getting closer to understanding something.
"Now listen young one. There are a few individuals that a talented enough to be born with their Soul Seed's already at a higher stage and due to this their entire foundations are often unstable in the early years of their life" Immortal Flame continued to explain. "And these individuals have to be supplemented with resources for a time until they are finally stable.
And you young one are one of them"
…
Liam's pupils trembled. "A-are you saying I am one of those individuals?"
Liam didn't want to believe him. He couldn't. and yet somewhere in the corner of his heart a faint hope began to bloom.
Immortal Flame didn't reply. He merely waved a claw and the two of them were back in the cave as though they had never left to begin with. The dragon retracted his claw from Liam's forehead but the latter just continued to stand there listless.
Immortal Flame could feel his distress. He did not have to know everything about Liam to know that he had suffered a lot because of his 'weakness'. From everything that Immortal Flame had seen, the world Liam came from was definitely one that had not been exposed to Aether for a long time.
Immortal Flame found himself looking at the listless Liam in contemplation.
'Is the boy really worth it?' Immortal Flame thought as he pondered over a decision he had long since made.