Whispers of A Dead Empire

Chapter 42

I opened my eyes and saw that Alessia had vanished. A small flitter of disappointment filled me as I realized I would be lonely again for a while. I glanced at my clock and saw that it was only around nine am. I didn't feel like going out and training today, which would leave me with two options. Either work on some content for the domain or meditate and work on my Ki and soul.

I wasn't really in the mood for writing content, so that just left me with meditation. I glanced around the room, and it reaffirmed my thought. It was better than being lonely again. I really needed to work on my issues rather than running away by working myself to death to ignore them. I stood up and stretched as my body slowly woke up. Now I had to figure out a pleasant spot to meditate. Did I want to do it here or find a place in the forest?

I mean, for me, either place was safe enough. There wasn't really anything out there that would hurt me, though I had a feeling that Alessia would probably have a conniption on the matter. Which was funny enough made me laugh a bit. It was weird having someone who was overly protective. Weird but not unpleasant.

I opened up my map and looked across the domain to find a place for me to meditate. The only place that seemed quiet and far away was the lake. For some reason, the surrounding area still seemed full of life, though a few meters out, the forest was slowly graying and dying. That was an odd interaction, and I wasn't sure what was causing it. But I wasn't complaining. It would give me a clean and beautiful area to meditate in. Though not so much once the adventurers came in. I could always block it off, but that didn't feel right. I wanted everything to be open to the Adventurers; adding restrictions to places would ruin the charm. So I would just leave it as it is for now.

I opened another screen and quickly shot Alessia a message, telling her I would be at the lake when she finished doing whatever she was doing. The second that the message was sent, I quickly teleported over to the lake. Once my nausea had passed, I looked around, trying to find a decent place for me to sit. A vast portion of the area was covered in vines and small plants. There was a small dirt-ridden road that I usually used to get into the lake when I took my baths, but other than that, it was just a crowded cost line. But I wanted something prettier than this. I stared at the lake as I tried to create an image of my mind on how I wanted the place to look. I wanted to make a beach or something close to it, so let's see what I can do.

I waved my hand, and a small, runic circle appeared below four of the trees. It was a three-layered circle connected with a few dozen star-shaped symbols that all twisted opposite each other and glowed with a dark maroon light. The trees looked as if they were being eaten away by a fire. They were flaking and turning into ash and getting sucked into the symbol on the ground. This was probably the first time I saw this skill as clear as this, and it did not disappoint me.

The entire process didn't last more than just a moment, as the trees vanished without a trace, leaving a small clearing. I changed the ground by making it a solid piece of rock with a smooth top and extended it up and outwards to overlook the lake a bit. It wasn't pretty, but it would do for now. Once I was happy with the overall appearance, I climbed on top of it and quickly began to work the land around the lake. I consumed various plants and materials, replacing them with golden sand, all around the perimeter of the lake. Once I was happy with it all, I sat down and enjoyed the look of my mini beach.

I had to shift a few times to get comfortable on the rock, but really it wasn't all that bad to sit on. It was hard, but nothing that a pillow couldn't fix. But it didn't matter that much to me. I mean, once I activated my meditation skill, I wouldn't feel it, anyway.

I crossed my legs and closed my eyes. Before I went into my subconscious, I decided to just sit here in silence for a moment. The kiss of the sunlight left a quiet warmth on my skin, and the wind gently caressed my exposed flesh. Since I decided not to wear my cloak or mask today. The subtle scent of the water was far different from what I thought it would have been. It was like that of a freshly bloomed rose, with the scent of grass that was recently watered touched with moss. It was peaceful and serene. The perfect place to meditate. With one last deep breath, I activated my meditation skill.