World Filter

Mark stood at the window of the two-story building, the glass warm beneath his fingertips as sunlight spilled through. Below, the streets surged with movement—hundreds of people weaving between makeshift stalls and banners, their voices a low, constant hum that rose in occasional bursts of laughter and cheer.

The moment Sam had laid out her idea, Mark had known it was the right time. They'd waited a day and a half to align with the celebration, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

What surprised him most was that the celebration hadn't been a last-minute scramble. Lisa and her team had been planning this for weeks—quietly, carefully, always pushing it off in favor of more urgent matters. But with Patricia's church now formally aligned with NAS, Lisa had thrown her full weight behind the event. Not just as a symbol of unity between NAS and the Church of Brilliance, but as a gift to everyone under their roof. A moment to breathe. To forget.

Just for a while.

And so, the proverbial gates had opened.

People poured into NAS's territory like water through a broken dam—curious, hopeful, skeptical. Some came to glimpse the elusive workings of one of the city's most influential factions, others to hear the Church speak. Many came for both. And some, Mark suspected, came just to spy.

But if Lisa weren't at least ready for them, she wouldn't have done this. Let them look.

Nathan had taken the opportunity to organize a full-scale demonstration.

A show of strength. It wasn't for beginners, either—most of the events catered to high-level individuals. But NAS had never been short on those. Word spread fast that food would be offered to anyone who joined the challenges, and that alone drew in a host of neutral parties eager to test their mettle or simply enjoy a free meal.

Ethel, ever the strategist, had suggested they offer food and drink from their own stores to all comers, not just the competitors. Their Order backed the event with full force, sending nearly everyone they could spare. Leaving only enough fighters behind to guard their headquarters.

Now the streets teemed with people—roaming, laughing, eating. Music drifted from a cluster of musicians near the central courtyard. Someone weaved flames into the shape of a koi overhead, drawing gasps of delight. Banners snapped in the breeze, bearing the crest of NAS, the Church of Brilliance, and a half-dozen allied groups who'd come to show support.

Mark took a slow breath, filling his lungs with the ambient Prana and letting it settle in his chest. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread reached even up here, carried by the wind. Below, people split into groups—some proudly bearing the colors of their factions, others blending into the crowd, simply enjoying the rare freedom to wander.

It felt less like a formal alliance ceremony and more like a festival.

And if Mark was being honest… he liked it better that way. It felt like another small slice of normal that was far too rare nowadays.

A banging at the apartment door drew Mark's attention away from the festivities below.

Moving over to the door, he opened it and let Sam and Andy in.

"Holy shit, Mark, you should see what it looks like from the rooftops. Its incredible. The streets are choked with people for blocks. It's like New Year's Eve out there."

Mark snorted at the teen.

Unlike Andy's relaxed and joyful demeanor, Sam's was a little more tentative.

"Okay, we're coming up to what I think is the peak number of arrivals, so we'll want to start very soon. Andy, if you would, could you go fetch Jonathan for us?" she said.

Andy looked between Sam and Mark, but nodded.

"Sure thing, boss lady," he said, smiling before waving at Mark and heading out through the same door.

Sam gently closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a sigh.

"Mark, you're ready for this, right?" she asked with an urgent light in her eyes.

He was certain that if he said no to her now, she would happily call the whole thing off. They weren't sure what the outcome of completing one's core would be, but the unknown was what made this so hard.

Not to mention, they intended to take the Cartakers' advice and go against the system. He and Sam had discussed the problem all night. Mark was certain he could use more time, but it would be years before he was comfortable enough to advance safely. Sadly, there was no guarantee they'd make it to next month, let alone next year.

They had narrowed down what they felt was the best concept for his core, and now it was just one step away.

"I'm ready, Sam," he said. There was no need for any big words at this stage. She knew that, she just wanted to be certain. They had done everything they could think of to prepare, now it was time.

Taking a breath, she nodded, and her eyes grew distant as a vial appeared in her hand. It contained the familiar violet liquid with a gold stopper.

"We're pretty sure this one should push you over the threshold. Joslin paid a premium for it, so it had better work."

Mark was certain it should do it as he stepped towards her and reached for the vial.

Before he could take the container, she pulled it out of reach.

"Make sure you come back to us. I don't care if it doesn't go well or if you can't get it to work how you want. No matter what, come home. I just got free of your bedside," She said with finality.

Mark nodded, not trusting his voice.

Sam held his gaze before slowly handing him the vial.

He didn't take it right away, instead, he moved to the single-seater couch facing the window. There wasn't much in the room, it had probably been abandoned until now. But from his seat, he could see out over the whole event. It was for this reason that Lisa had given them a building smack dab in the center of the celebration.

Mark closed his eyes and called up the system.

Just fifteen points away. The fact that both [Prana pulse] and [egenreate] were ready to advance was nice, but he could deal with them later.

Holding the vial firm, he was just about to pop the cap when the door opened and Jonathan walked in.

Seeing Mark and Sam look up at him, he hummed as his eyes roamed the room.

"So you're ready," he said as a matter of factly. "Alright, then you better get started. Don't worry about anything. I'll make sure no one interrupts you," he said, closing the door behind him.

Mark could feel Jonathan's Aura spreading out into the surroundings, reassuringly.

And instead of feeling cold, Mark could tell he meant it, he would help in whatever way he could.

Sam snorted, and Mark nodded, unable to help the grateful smile on his face.

"Don't mind him, Mark, he's just trying to act cool. He's worried too."

Jonathan shot her a wry frown.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I just wanted him to know I've got his back."

Mark felt a familiar warmth as the two bickered like an old married couple. Both Samantha and Jonathan were so different from when they'd first met. Though it wasn't that they'd changed in such a short time. It was more that they were willing to let him see through their masks. Since he'd known them, people had always relied heavily on the two, so it was seldom that they let their guards down.

When you were leading, you couldn't afford people seeing your worry or uncertainty.

Around him, they were willing to be flawed, and he wouldn't have asked for anything else.

Mark didn't try to stop the two and just laughed as he popped the cap with a flick of his thumb.

This drew their attention as he brought the tonic to his lips.

"I'm glad I know you both. I'll see you shortly."

Without waiting, he knocked back the sweet purple tonic and swallowed as his Prana responded right away. Leaping ahead in the single largest jump of power he'd felt yet.

It merged with his energy and pushed him over the one-thousand five hundred threshold.

No sooner had it done so than the system chimed in his ears.

Mark closed his eyes as he passed the threshold and reached for the surrounding Prana. He had done this many times before, so without hesitation, he drew a deep breath, filling his lungs and chest with the ambient life energy. At his call, the vast currents of Prana drifting through the air surged toward him, pouring into his body.

At the same time, he felt the system asserting its control over his core.

With those final points in place, Mark could feel the entirety of his chest come to life, surrounded by points of light.

The system was just about to begin arranging his core when Mark lowered his will, forcing the outside force away.

Now, normally, when it came to system assistance, he would just allow it to do what it wanted. It did this with his spells, and he was okay with that, but his core was different.

If this was going to work, the first hurdle was to overcome the system's control.

In any other situation, that would have been impossible—but this was the creation of his soul core, the most intrinsic part of Mark. He was in control; the system was only there to guide.

All around him, the Prana stilled as Mark brushed the system aside. It resisted, but there was nothing it could do.

All at once, Mark seized control of the one thousand five hundred points of light that made up his core.

They hovered in perfect symmetry around his chest, an orderly sphere designed by the system to contain and preserve his Prana. Each point was fixed in position, humming gently, the entire formation locked down like a sealed vault.

If the system had its way, that sphere would remain closed forever, never losing a drop of energy.

And in truth, it wasn't wrong. From a purely functional standpoint, it was brilliant.

Efficient. Eternal.

His Prana would never leak, never waste. But that was exactly the issue.

Prana, as an energy, was not meant to be hoarded. It was giving. Flowing. Alive. It resonated with connection, with purpose beyond the self. To cage it went against its nature.

Mark refused to let that happen.

He drew in a breath and forced the points into motion.

The sphere collapsed, reshaping under his will. The light condensed, converging downward into a square base, four corners grounding the shape, while the remaining points stretched upward to form a tapering peak.

A pyramid.

It was the simplest yet powerful base Mark knew. And while it took shape, he prepared for the next step.

A single pyramid was strong but it wasn't enough.

The pyramid expanded, duplicated, and inverted. A second pyramid formed point-down, piercing the first from below. The two interlocked to form an octahedron, the balance of above and below. Now his Prana pulsed evenly between opposing forces, both grounded and elevated.

Still, Mark pressed on.

He drew out more points, extending lines from every face and vertex, stretching them into new planes. The simple solid shape became a complex weave of projections. Geometry unfurled like a blooming crystal—angular, radiant.

He rotated the form, split the vertices into branching clusters, and connected each projection until the final shape took form.

A perfect star of violet light

The structure exploded outward, not violently, but with radiance. Every new spike was a breath, a pulse, a gift.

Then, just before it settled, Mark did something he was certain the system would never have allowed if it had a choice. Reaching up into his mind, Mark grabbed a handful of points of light from his unfinished Mana core and merged them into his chest. Twelve of them, to be exact. Each one falling into place at the points of the star.

Spiked faces, interwoven edges, and glowing nodes flickered across its structure like a constellation brought to life. The star was precise yet organic.

It didn't hold his Prana in; it sang with it. The energy radiated freely between the spiked points, like light bouncing through a gem, touching everything it could reach.

As Prana leaked out freely into the room, Mark was reminded once more that this idea came from his wound just days ago. Only now it was intentional. The Prana spilled out into the room, but then, without any input from Mark, it began traveling back towards him, being carried back by his Mana and reabsorbed into his chest.

Because Prana could move freely through the air, Mark had decided to merge some of his Mana with it, allowing him to eliminate one of the largest weaknesses of the energy. Its inability to be controlled beyond the body.

Of course, this method was not without its downsides. Namely, it would make his Mana's core weaker until he could build it up as well, but once they were both complete, he would see an exponential improvement in both. At least that was the idea.

Mark held his new core together as the Prana rushing in around him solidified it. But he'd been so busy concentrating on getting the shape right, he hadn't been taking note of what was going on outside.

Prana rushed in from all directions, but it simply wasn't enough.

If the points of light within his core were the bricks, then the ambient Prana was the cement, and right now, there simply wasn't enough to hold it all together.

Mark had hoped the sheer number of people nearby would make up for it. That their presence would saturate the air with energy. But even in this crowded space, his body demanded more than the surroundings could provide. It was an astronomical requirement, one that needed a constant, overwhelming flow.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—they had planned for this.

As the external Prana thinned out, Mark tapped into his reserves. He began purifying the Corruption embedded deep in his core. He'd taken on extra CV precisely for this moment. But even that would run dry before long.

And when it did, he turned his gaze outward, toward the people.

His core hadn't even finished stabilizing, and already he was about to force it into full operation. But he had no choice.

He set it to work.

The newly forming structure extended tendrils of Prana through the air, slipping unseen into the streets below. It reached through alleys, past stone and steel and cloth, flowing like a silent current.

But no sooner had it spread than it began to retract, pulling something back with it.

What returned wasn't just his Prana. It came laced with Corruption, drawn in from every living being within a hundred-foot radius. Mark held firm as the wave struck him.

His body drank it all in, every tainted thread, surged around his new core as it condensed down the points of the star before being sucked up by his mutated core to be purifyed.