Chapter 13: The Parasite Within

I stared at my arm, the faint glow pulsing under my skin like a heartbeat. Something was off. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but as the seconds ticked by, the sensation grew clearer sharper. It wasn't just the Celestial Essence flowing through me; it was… draining me.

I flexed my hand, the light flickering as I moved. My fingers trembled, not from exhaustion—I hadn't done anything nearly strenuous enough for that—but from something deeper, something I couldn't explain. It was subtle at first, like a slow leak in a reservoir, but it was there. The energy wasn't just entwined with me; it was feeding on me.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the faint but steady ache blooming there. My breath hitched as I realized what was happening. The Celestial Essence wasn't just a tool or a power—it was alive, and it wasn't content to just exist within me. It was taking.

Panic surged, but I forced it down, reaching for the calm I always tried to maintain. I needed to think. Now wasn't the time to lose it. I focused on the sensation, trying to map it out. The energy wasn't just absorbing my strength; it was pulling on something more fundamental—my life force. I could feel it, a slow but steady drain, like a parasite nestled deep within.

I glanced at the shard on the workbench, its soft glow pulsing in tandem with the light in my arm. Was it connected to this? Or was it the essence itself, adapting to me, feeding on whatever it could find? I didn't know, and that scared me more than anything.

Clenching my fists, I tried to push the essence back, to regain control, but it was like trying to hold onto smoke. The energy twisted and writhed, resisting my efforts, and with each attempt, the drain seemed to accelerate. My vision blurred for a moment, and I swayed on my feet, catching myself on the edge of the workbench.

"Alright, Caius," I muttered under my breath, my voice shaky. "Think. You've been in worse spots than this." But even as I said it, I wasn't sure that was true.

I needed to find a way to stop it—to stop this—before it went too far. But how? I couldn't just cut it out like an infection, and trying to purge it might make things worse. I glanced down at my glowing arm again, the faint light an eerie reminder of what was happening to me.

I didn't have time to waste. I needed answers, and I needed them fast.

I stared at the glow in my arm, my mind racing. The Celestial Essence wasn't just embedded in me—it was draining me, siphoned directly into my life force. Panic clawed at the edges of my thoughts, but I shoved it down. I couldn't afford to lose focus now.

I'd spent months mastering energy conversion, manipulating mana into fire, void, and even unstable celestial fragments. But this was different. This wasn't about shaping external energy—it was about what was already inside me. The essence wasn't a tool or a resource. It was a living, hungry force, and it was feeding.

I tried to push it back, to wrestle it into submission, but it resisted like it was part of me—like it was me. The drain grew sharper, a gnawing ache spreading through my chest. I clenched my fist, the glow flickering brighter, and it felt more like a warning than a sign of control.

Then it hit me. If I couldn't remove it, maybe I didn't have to. I'd been trying to fight it, to push it out, but that wasn't my strength. My strength was conversion. I didn't remove energy; I changed it. Fire to void, void to mana—why not Celestial Essence to something else?

I focused on the sensation, trying to map the energy's flow. It pulsed under my skin, a steady rhythm that mirrored my heartbeat—or maybe it was the other way around. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and shifted my focus. Instead of trying to expel it, I reached for it, willing it to change.

At first, nothing happened. The essence resisted, twisting and writhing like it knew what I was trying to do. I gritted my teeth, pressing harder, and then—it shifted. Just a fraction, but it was enough. The glow in my arm dimmed slightly, the ache in my chest easing ever so faintly.

I exhaled, a shaky laugh escaping me. It was working. Not perfectly, not yet, but it was possible. If I could convert it into something else—something less volatile, less parasitic—I might just survive this. I didn't know what it would become, but it didn't matter. If it wasn't killing me, I could figure out the rest later.

The glow in my arm flickered again, and this time, it felt more like a challenge than a threat. I grinned, feeling a flicker of the old confidence I'd lost in the chaos. "Alright," I muttered. "Let's see what I can do with you."

I focused all my energy on converting the remaining Celestial Essence, determined to save my life. The process was gruelling, every ounce of strength I had left was poured into it. My body felt like it was on fire, but I couldn't afford to stop.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the essence began to shift. It wasn't as volatile as before, and the ache in my chest lessened with each passing moment. I could feel myself regaining control, and the relief was overwhelming.

As soon as I had converted the last of the Essence, I slumped back in my chair, panting heavily. My body felt drained, but I had survived. For now.

From this day forward, I decided to take precautions when conducting new experiments. I knew that the Celestial Essence was a powerful force, and one that could not be taken lightly. I would need to find a way to harness its power without putting myself in danger again.

I spent countless hours researching and experimenting with different ways to convert energy safely. It wasn't easy; there were countless setbacks and failures along the way. But eventually, I found a method that worked for me - one that allowed me to manipulate energy without putting myself at risk.