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Reaching for my spatial pouch, I fumbled for a moment before my fingers found the small vial of healing potion that Roderick had given me. It was a simple concoction meant to speed up recovery from minor injuries, but it would have to do for now.

I uncorked the vial with shaky hands, downing its contents in one quick motion. The familiar taste of bitter herbs and something metallic hit my tongue, and almost immediately, I felt a soothing warmth spread through my body. The pain dulled slightly, though it didn\'t disappear entirely. The potion was working, but it wouldn\'t be enough to heal me completely. I\'d need time—time I didn\'t have.

[Reckless, as always,] Vitaliara\'s voice echoed softly in my mind as she appeared at my side. The sleek black fur of her feline form shimmered faintly under the moonlight as she began to lick one of the gashes on my arm, her tongue warm and oddly comforting. [You push yourself too far.]

"I had to," I muttered, wincing as the pain in my ribs flared up again. "Korvan wasn\'t the kind of opponent I could afford to hold back against."

[You say that every time,] she replied with a hint of amusement. [And yet, every time, you end up like this—on the ground, half-dead.]

I chuckled, though it hurt to do so. "Guess I have a habit of picking fights that are too big for me."

Vitaliara let out a soft purr as she continued tending to my wounds. [You\'ve mastered the art of survival, even if your methods leave much to be desired.]

"Survival\'s what matters," I said, closing my eyes for a moment as the healing potion worked its way through my system, easing some of the pain. "The rest is just… details."

[Still,] she mused, [you\'re not invincible. And one day, this recklessness is going to catch up with you.]

I didn\'t respond immediately, letting the silence stretch between us as I focused on catching my breath. The battle had drained me, but I was alive. That was enough for now.

Finally, I opened my eyes, glancing down at the estoc lying beside me, its blade now dulled and scratched from the intensity of the fight. "I know," I said quietly. "But until then… I\'ll keep pushing forward."

Vitaliara paused in her licking, her golden eyes meeting mine. [Just don\'t forget that you\'re not alone in this.]

I smiled weakly. "I haven\'t forgotten."

With her help, I managed to sit up, though the pain still lingered in my body. Korvan was dead, and his bandit network would soon crumble.

"How are the others doing?" I asked, my voice steadying as the potion worked its magic, dulling the pain coursing through my body.

Vitaliara paused for a moment, her eyes flickering as she reached out with her senses, no doubt checking on the status of the rest of the battle. [They\'re fine,] she replied, her voice laced with calm confidence. [After that knight with the golden aura—Roderick, I believe—took down the last of the 3-star warriors, the rest of the fight became trivial. No one left standing can match him now.]

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Good. It sounds like the others have things under control then." I took a deep breath, the taste of the healing potion still lingering on my tongue. "That means it\'s time for me to claim my reward."

[Your reward?] Vitaliara\'s tail flicked in curiosity, though her voice carried a hint of amusement. [Don\'t tell me you\'re going to meditate right here.]

I nodded. "Of course. Korvan was a peak 3-star warrior, and the death mana he\'s left behind is far greater than anything I\'ve come across so far. It\'d be a waste to leave it unattended."

Vitaliara sighed, though there was an edge of approval in her tone. [You really are something. But I suppose it makes sense, considering what you\'re after.]

I shifted my position, sitting up straighter as I prepared to focus. The energy in the air was thick, saturated with the death that Korvan had unleashed in his final moments. It swirled around me, invisible yet palpable, waiting to be absorbed.

Closing my eyes, I reached out with my senses, feeling the ebb and flow of the death mana lingering in the area. It was heavy, oppressive even, but that only made it more valuable.

This was the kind of energy that would push my cultivation further, the kind that would help me unlock more of the power within.

\'Yes… this is exactly what I need.\'

I could feel Vitaliara watching me closely as I settled into the familiar rhythm of my meditation, my breathing slowing as I began to draw in the death mana around me. It flowed into me like a slow, dark river, filling the void within and merging with the power already coursing through my body.

[Just don\'t push yourself too far,] she warned, her voice soft but firm. [You\'re still wounded.]

"I know," I whispered, my voice barely audible as I focused on the flow of energy. "But this… this is an opportunity I can\'t pass up."

As I sat there, absorbing the death mana from Korvan\'s fallen body, I felt a surge of energy flood through me. The weight of it was immense, far more powerful than anything I\'d experienced from lesser foes. This wasn\'t like absorbing the death energy from some beast or low-level bandit. This was different.

Korvan had been a peak 3-star Awakened, and the energy he left behind carried the weight of his power, his life force, and all the battles he had fought.

The dark energy swirled around me, seeping into my body, and I could feel the slow but steady formation of a second vortex in my core—the [Flame of Equinox]. It had been progressing for a while now, but always at a slow pace since I needed to constantly meditate and draw in the surrounding energy. But now, with Korvan\'s death, the process was accelerating.

I felt the flame within me—[The Flame of Vitality]—react to the death mana. It balanced the opposing forces with delicate precision, allowing the two to coexist without tearing me apart. It was a dangerous process, but one I had become familiar with. The [Flame of Equinox] was the key to mastering the balance between life and death, a path that few dared to walk.

As the second vortex started to form, I could feel my entire being changing. The power within me was growing, expanding beyond what I had thought possible.

My muscles tightened, my mana core pulsed with renewed strength, and my senses sharpened as the energy coursed through me. Every fiber of my being felt alive with the newfound power, and I couldn\'t help but smile at the feeling.

\'Stronger… much stronger,\' I thought, my eyes still closed as I maintained my focus on the absorption process. The death energy flowed into me like a torrent, filling the second vortex to the brim.

[You\'re getting stronger,] Vitaliara noted, her voice now laced with quiet satisfaction. [Korvan\'s power is more potent than you anticipated, isn\'t it?]

"It is," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Much stronger than I thought."

[Heh…. That is because he had killed countless different people before,] Vitaliara\'s voice echoed softly in my mind, laced with quiet understanding.

I felt her gaze settle on me as I continued to absorb Korvan\'s death energy, the torrent of dark mana filling me with more power than I had ever anticipated. But there was something in her tone—a hint of unease, as if there was more to this power than I understood.

[You know,] she began, her voice soft but firm, [every action we take leaves an imprint on the world. Whether we realize it or not, the choices we make—especially the darker ones—bind us to something greater.]

I opened my eyes slightly, still focusing on the energy coursing through me, but her words caught my attention. "What do you mean?"

Vitaliara paused for a moment, her tail flicking thoughtfully. [It\'s a concept that many refuse to acknowledge, but it\'s real. You\'ve heard of karma, haven\'t you?]

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I\'ve heard the term."

[Karma, in essence, is the accumulation of one\'s deeds—good or bad,] she explained, her golden eyes gleaming in the dim light of the night. [But it\'s not just a moral principle. It\'s an actual force that lingers in the air, in the very fabric of existence. Every person leaves a trace of their actions behind, a kind of imprint that\'s tied to their soul.]

Her words sank in, and I couldn\'t help but think of Korvan. The sheer amount of death mana swirling around me, far more potent than I had ever encountered before, seemed to resonate with what she was saying.

"So you\'re saying Korvan…?" I asked, trailing off as I tried to piece it together.

[Korvan\'s actions—the lives he took, the evil he spread—they didn\'t just vanish into thin air,] Vitaliara continued, her voice steady. [They left a mark on him, and that mark has become part of the energy he\'s left behind. His soul was corrupted by the countless lives he destroyed, and that corruption became a part of him, an imprint on his very being.]

\'I see...that makes sense…..\'

The oppressive weight of the death mana wasn\'t just Korvan\'s strength—it was the weight of all the wrongs he had committed, the lives he had taken, and the darkness that had consumed him.

[If you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss stares back.]