After I finish the informative book while walking I arrive at the fork in the path. Five paths are laid out before me, each one with a door formed with a sort of energy. Above each door is a carving of an unknown symbol.

'What are these symbols?' I try to recall any information I may have on the symbols to no avail. I didn't notice these doors before when I sent out my spiritual sense, so these doors probably don't spiritual energy. I move to the door situated in the center of the wall and attempt to enter the strange energy layer.

The instant my hand touches the membrane a fierce pulse pushes me back leaving a tingly sensation in my hands. Rather than continuing to try and enter this door I head to a different one. Assuming the doors are counted from left to right this door would be the first.

Copying my last action I use both hands to try and push the membrane blocking the pathway, but surprisingly there is no pushback.

Rather than questioning the mechanics of the doorway I continue down the path that allows me. The second I pass through the barrier I realize the colors of the crystals are distinctly different. The first hallway was made of a ton of cerulean gems, but this hallway appears to be made of amethyst, or amethyst colored gems.

After another step strange runes begin to emerge from the wall glowing extremely brightly. After a few seconds the light begins to fade, but does not entirely disappear. I look closely at the runes, but I don't recognize them at all let alone know how to read them.

"What are these runes?" These curious inscriptions pull my attention away from the task at hand and I begin to instead recording down each symbol in a notebook. I pass a few hours like this, simply recording each individual symbol that I find.

New Language

Proficiency: 1%

You have begun to recognize

the symbols of this

language.

After spending so much time trying to understand these symbols I somehow have begun to learn the language, but the proficiency is so low I still don't have any idea what they are. The system didn't even say what language it was and instead titled it unknown. After realizing that I spent an enormous amount of time writing while going down the path I begin to pick up the pace. My original goal in rushing through here was to find Maddy, but the layout of this place makes me feel like I am the only person here. If the others had been transported here I would assume that the pathways would not be blocked and every path except one go in the same direction.

After a bit of walking I get a chill up my spine and break out into a cold sweat.

Without giving it much thought I project my spiritual essence once again in hopes of finding whatever is causing this feeling of unease. For a moment I sensed a figure protruding from the crystal wall, but an instant after that they vanished. The aura that I felt from that being was vaguely ominous, so I continue down the path with much more caution. After a few steps a strange energy passes through me.

The amethyst walls slowly begin to close in on me. I turn around in attempt to flee, but a wall of purple haze moving at an incredible speed blocks my path. My whole body begins to feel heavier and heavier. I drop to my knees, but before falling over completely I begin to emit a small amount of spiritual energy creating a sort of barrier around myself. I use my hands to keep myself from falling completely over and begin inspecting my body for whatever that strange energy was.

'There it is!' The strange energy seems to constantly expel a powerful burgundy colored aura. Though I am not too experience in different auras I do know that auras have different meanings for the different colors. The sanguine aura that the orb of energy emits is incredibly ominous and is most likely causing the oppressive feeling that is forcing me to the ground. My spiritual control is rather low, and my understanding of spiritual power is low as well, but I can try to learn through experience. Focusing all my spiritual power to surround and suppress the energy core takes much a large amount of focus, but I do not lose any mana because it's not leaving my body so I can easily reabsorb it.

I stand and find that the strange energy that blocked my way back and the walls which were closing in are back to how they normally were.

'Whatever this energy is must be quite powerful to cause such strong hallucinations.' I force myself forward while maintaining an outward vigilance and an inward focus. My speed is incredibly slow thanks to the amount of multitasking required to keep watch on attacks and to suppress the strange energy rumbling around in my body.

Moving to a wall I begin to take a rest after such a long time travelling alone. When I was playing with Maddy I could play for much longer because I didn't have such an empty feeling as I do right now. I sit down and log out for a break.

-----

Logging back in I immediately remember to suppress the strange energy still formed within my body. I only took a few minute break as no one was online, or at least they didn't respond to my messages.

"Sitting alone in this game is beginning to upset me. Why am I so needy?"

With my emotions becoming colder and more distant my energy begins to change as well. The once light golden aura changes to an icy cold blue aura with a constant beat of an incredibly malignant and dark red.

I focus my power on the strange energy within my body and my aura changes from it's previous smooth liquid like form to sharp jagged spikes which pierce through and destroy the energy core.

"Annoying." After it's core was destroyed the energy immediately tries to dissipate, but I suppress it once again.

"Is there a way to absorb this?" The aura this energy emitted was previously of a completely different nature than mine, but after the change of my aura the energy may be able to be absorbed.

I keep part of my focus on the energy constantly trying to dissipate and the rest is used to try and understand my current spirit. The dark pulsing energy in my core is much harder to control than the icy blue aura, but I begin to try and move it and use it to absorb powerful energy.

"This is quite tricky." I can't help muttering things to myself rather than just thinking them.

Surrounding the foreign energy with my chaotic energy I begin to siphon it off slowly and circulate it through my energy channels within my body.