Broken Core [LitRPG • Cultivation • Post Apocalyptic • Romance]

Setting her lips into fine lines, Luna took his hand and pulled him out of the town. He chuckled to himself as she squeezed his hand, trying to break his fingers. She likely would have succeeded if his body wasn't tempered.

Nebra and her party walked several paces behind, whispering to one another. It wasn't lost on him that they were still scared of him and Luna. That didn't make him feel good about his presence. He was used to people being happy when he was around. He shared tips on cultivation and did odd jobs around the sect. He was notable and he was happy. Now he knew he struck fear in those around him.

"It'll be fine," Luna whispered.

"Huh?"

"I can tell you are worried." Luna bumped his shoulder with hers. "We'll handle anything the world throws at us, but we might have to be hard against those that can cause us problems."

"I'm not a hard person," he murmured.

"I know. Boy do I know. I just wish I had cultivation like you. Together we'd be able to tackle the world."

Smiling, he leaned in and kissed the tip of her ear. "Maybe there is a way to give you my ability. You never know."

"Please figure it out!"

Chuckling, he focused his attention on the wasteland around them. The once smooth and luscious ground was torn and cracked. Remnants of buildings and roads stretched into the distance. Bricks and glass were scattered everywhere as the souls of the wasteland kept their distance.

Before he could frown at the lack of Forsaken, he heard flapping wings and turned towards the sky. His flock of vultures were swooping down towards him, making Nebra and her party draw their swords.

"Leave them!" James shouted. "The vultures are with me!"

The group paused, but only for a moment as they prepared for battle.

Turning on them, James released the hold on his soul and slammed as much pressure into them as he could. The four cultivators dropped to the ground as the vultures landed around him. Their number had grown to twenty as they bowed their heads. Bowing to them in return, James smiled.

"We'll be traveling towards a sect. If we want to find something to eat, we will need to move swiftly and kill them before they can run. Be ready."

Squawking, they took into the air again. With their need to eat, James scanned the area. Luna tapped him on the shoulder.

"There's a pack of wolves about a mile away to the north. I'll stay with the children."

Chuckling, he nodded and took off. The wolves likely wouldn't taste good, but the vultures would be happy either way.

Luna watched her husband run away. His steps were fast. Much faster than her wolf form. If she didn't have Qi to push into her muscles and bend the air, she wouldn't be able to keep up with him.

How I wish I could share his cultivation with him. I bet we could mingle our souls together if I did.

That single thought made her head spin. Frowning, she watched him for a few more seconds.

When did I get sentimental about him in such a way? Was it when he saved me time and again, or when he was so sensitive around me? He's always treated me like another person, rather than a monster like the other humans do. Even Nebra and her group look at me like I'm trash and I don't think he sees it.

Glancing over her shoulder at the group, she found them frowning at her. With him gone, they were able to show their true colors. Their obvious hatred towards her.

I hate being alone with them. If I wasn't stronger…

She didn't want to think about what that would mean. They would likely kill her for cultivating in their presence. James wouldn't be able to leave her alone. It was bad enough that they were going to talk with elders and she wasn't mortal.

Does he know what it's like for me? Should I tell him?

She didn't have the answers that she needed. He was a good man and content to treat her with care and respect. That was enough for her to develop feelings for the man.

I really shouldn't have pushed him away for so long. Even when I kept him at a distance, he tried to talk to me and brought me everything I needed. A normal person would have abandoned me.

She kept her pace steady as the flock of vultures descended in the distance. James had likely already killed off the pack of wolves and would be returning shortly. She really wanted him by her side again. The others would stop glaring at her and would stop whispering under their breaths.

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James frowned as he returned to Luna's side. He had taken the time to think over her comment. If she truly wanted to cultivate like him, there had to be a way. With that thought, he reached out and touched her soul with his. The wolf shivered next to him before frowning.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Testing something," he whispered back.

Luna fell silent as he prodded her soul. It was different from his. Hers felt inert whereas his was alive and thrumming with power. Hers was also a decent size compared to how his started out when he first started on his path. If he could somehow crush her core and restart her soul, he might find a way to recreate his path.

Minutes passed before he felt a change in her soul. His flames started mixing with hers, making her gasp.

"James?" she asked with worry.

"Sorry. I'm trying to see if I can change your cultivation."

"You can do that?" she asked.

"Maybe," he admitted. "I'm still working on it."

Shifting closer to him, she wrapped her tail around his back and hummed. "It feels good. But won't you have to destroy my core?"

"I will," he answered. "You'll be very weak at first. But I'll protect you and help you grow. I just need another few hours with your soul."

"Take your time. I love feeling you inside me."

Giving her a blank stare, he was forced to listen to her giggle.

"Please do what you can," she said after a moment. "We have weeks of travel before we arrive at the sect. I'd rather move around the wasteland increasing in power before we arrive."

Nodding, he kept playing with her soul. He was on the verge of understanding it more when she stepped away. She scanned the surroundings while clutching her chest.

Am I hurting her? I know I'll need to in order to change her cultivation. I just need to figure out how.

Minutes turned to hours as the morning turned to noon. His experiments started to show results as he learned he could essentially snuff out her soul and restart it. He hadn't done it yet, but the process would shatter her core. There was no coming back once he started.

"If you want this, we'll need to leave this group," he said.

Perking up, she turned to him. "You figured it out?"

"I think so, but it'll be risky."

Beaming, she grabbed his hand. "Let's do it! We can start hunting right away!"

Chuckling, he scanned the surroundings. They needed to get away from the cultivators for at least a few hours. Turning to them, he said, "we are going ahead. We'll be back before long."

He didn't give them a chance to respond as he started running. Luna kept up with him easily enough and within minutes, they were miles from the group. The nearby Forsaken fled from them, keeping their distance before they found another town. Moving into a house that was still standing, he gestured for Luna to sit.

"This is going to hurt," he stated. "Worse than anything you have ever felt before. I can't guarantee this will work either."

"I trust you," she whispered as she sat across from him. "Do it."

Nodding, he sat down with her and reached out with his soul. Unlike how his soul was suppressed while he had a core, he would be restarting her soul and destroying her core. He only prayed that it would work.

Mixing his soul with hers, he said, "I'm going to begin."

"I'm ready," she whispered.

Grabbing her soul, he crushed everything about her. She wasn't as ready as she thought.

Luna woke with a start. Gasping for each breath, she felt her vision struggle to adjust. She could smell that James was nearby, but she wasn't ready for the flood of information to fill her vision.

Initialization complete. Soul restarted and synced to progress. Body resources depleted. Source of sustenance within ten feet. Alternative source of water within ten feet.

New Soul Skill: Soul Siphon

New Skill: Regeneration: Level 1/10

New Skill: Pain Resistance: Level 1/10

Name: Luna Rys

Soul Strength: 0.00

Soul Skills

Soul Siphon

Skills

Regeneration: Level 1/10

Pain Resistance: Level 1/10

She could feel the change in her body. Looking towards her abdomen, she found the shattered remains of her core floating around a small ember of some sort. It was barely lit and when she glanced at James, she found a raging inferno in his body. The white flames shone so bright that she had to look away.

Just before she was going to say something to him, her stomach growled and she felt an insatiable hunger overcome her. Rolling onto her stomach, she started crawling towards the scent of food. Raw meat was nearby and James moved with her.

"Eat what you need," he said. "I'll hand you bottles of water after a few bites."

Growling, she snapped her teeth at him as he approached. Locking her eyes on the carcass of some sort of beast, she picked up her pace and tore into it. Flesh ripped from bone as she barely chewed before swallowing. Blood coated her lips as she went in for bite after bite.

James handed her a bottle of water and she barely opened the lid before draining the entire thing. Switching back to the monster, she dove back in. Slowly her stomach filled and something clicked in her being.

Body resources full. Time until reserves are full: Three hours and fifty-nine minutes.

"What the hell?" she murmured as she felt normal.

"Did you get the message about resources?" he questioned.

"Yeah." Looking around her, she found five bottles of water and a nearly finished carcass of a Forsaken.

"We need to hunt," he said. "I'll keep you safe while you siphon them. You need to reach your first stage of your soul as soon as possible."

Nodding, she climbed to her feet. What she wasn't ready was for him to pick her up and blur away. A small scream escaped her as he headed further into the town. It was only seconds later that she caught sight of the different souls all around her.

A feral emotion rose in her chest as she lifted her hand and latched onto the nearest Forsaken. A primal drive to grow filled her as she attached to six monsters and watched as streams of soul fire flowed into her. James kept her in his arms the entire time as she watched the souls rage and thrash on the ground. She didn't care what they looked like as her mind refused to focus on anything but the tasty souls flowing into her.

Seconds passed before the souls were snuffed out and her ember flickered with life. The hint of flames were coming off it as she received another message.

Souls absorbed. Soul Strength: 0.3

"I increased that much?" she murmured.

"You aren't done yet," he said with a chuckle.

Glancing around, she was surprised to find dozens of Forsaken surrounding them.

"They can sense your weakness," he said. "I'll keep you safe. Just drain them."

Nodding, she latched onto more as he carried her around and knocked back any that drew close. Time ceased to mean anything as she grew stronger.