Infinity Worlds

Jakron continues to nudge himself in the endless void of this starry space. Feeling the life energy flowing around him, Jakron is able to develop a better understanding of how life energy feels and how to manipulate it. Jakron is surprised that Rehan wasn't better able to heal himself from the curse that afflicted him. Just Jakron's initial impression of life energy is that it will be instrumental in healing not just his soul, but also his body in the future.

Time moves on for Jakron as he visits different souls and is able to siphon off a portion of the energy helping to heal his damaged soul. Jakron can feel himself get stronger and stronger, but he hasn't been able to leave this space yet. Instead, he is forced to continue visiting souls and experience other people's lives.

This has been a double edge sword for Jakron. Sometimes he wonders who he is and where he is before he is able to come back to reality. This scares Jakron down to his bones. The benefit is that Jakron is constantly improving his abilities while traveling the massive space and the experiences that Jakron has experienced has given him a better understanding of energies and cultures throughout the infinite worlds.

Slowly through constant effort and training, Jakron is able to gain control over his soul in this mysterious space. With his constant improvements to his understanding of life energy, Jakron can feel how life energy interacts with dimensional energy. With this as a basis, Jakron is able to incorporate life energy into his consolidation of space, time, dimensional, and life. By developing a deeper understanding of these powers Jakron is able to begin to control his movements in the starry space of souls.

Eventually, Jakron is able to just mediate in the endless void of this soul space and continues to develop his powers and regulate his emotions. The numerous trips to other people's souls have further increased the amount of effort that Jakron needs to spend to control his emotions. While he has healed most of the damage to his soul from overextending himself in his fight with Drego and taking in Rehan, Jakron has also introduced a lot of chaotic emotions into his soul. Luckily Jakron now has control over his movements in the endless space eliminating further visits to other people and the introduction of chaotic foreign essence.

Now Jakron is capable of finding large collections of life energy to help with the healing his soul without entering another. While this is slower it is currently healthier for Jakron because he doesn't know how many more times he can handle living someone else's memories and experiences.

Mediating over the intricacies of life and how it connects across dimensions, Jakron is able to develop feeling with the souls surrounding him. While he can't connect to all of them Jakron is able to establish small connections with them.

With great effort and time studying these connections, Jakron is able to gain a certain understanding to the people linked through these connections and their circ.u.mstances. These feeling are hazy, to say the least, but it is an improvement compared to his previous floundering in the darkness and basing everything on the concentration of life energies alone.

Finally, after developing this new ability, Jakron can feel the connection with his own body. Relief floods Jakron as he quickly establishes a connection and drives his soul back towards his body.

Connecting to his body, Jakron feels like everything is strange. It feels like it has been years since he was last in his body. Nothing feels natural as Jakron's eyes gradually flutter open, he can feel himself laying in a bed with light shining on him. Jakron gradually makes out that he is a large hospital type room. Numerous other simple beds line the wall along with his. Clean, white bedsheets cover them and the air smells like cleaning supplies.

Groaning, Jakron tries to push himself up only to realize that he is connected to various machines. Pulling some of the apparatus off of him Jakron is finally able to sit up. After sitting up and taking a look at his surroundings and bodily condition, Jakron hears someone walk into the room.

"Ahhh, Mr. Tyga, it's good that you are back among the living. We were worried about your safety for a while," a small petite middle-aged woman walks in. The lady has brown hair with streaks of gray. Her face is smooth and well taken care of belying her age. Wearing the uniform of an instructor, Jakron can only imagine that she is part of the faculty.

"I feel rough. How long have I been here Miss...?" Jakron asks while giving her a quizzical look.

"Sorry I'm Professor Penny Harington and you have been here for about a month," she says while looking over some machine display evaluating Jakron's vitals.

"One month…what about Ella? How is she?" Jakron asks while trying to hide the rollercoaster of emotions he is feeling.

Laughing Penny looks at Jakron slyly, "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask about her," she says while feeling the inner-turmoil Jakron is going through.

"Don't worry she is fine and recovering. While she has much more significant injuries than you, it could have been worse if not for your intervention," Professor Harington says while smiling at the slight blush that creeps onto Jakron's face.

"Of course you will have a rougher time because of your foolishness," she says as the smile slides off of her face. "The school has disqualified your wins so you ended up last in the tournament and they have confiscated your current acc.u.mulated contribution points."

"I'm sorry, I lost my cool when I saw Ella stabbed by that metal spike," Jakron laments his misfortune.

"What should I do now?" Jakron asks.

"You should probably just quit. I mean Ella was brought away by her family to recover and isn't back yet. Drego is ready to kill you and has reached the early Connate Realm. And you haven't had any friends visit." Professor Harington says while giving Jakron a deathly stare.

Jakron's heart drops and his blood runs cold. While he understands parts, hearing them all at once is catastrophic.

"Okay," Jakron can barely get the words out of his mouth without choking up.

"Jakron!" A yell interrupts Jakron's internal bem.o.a.ning.

Turning Jakron can see Hale quickly approaching and Jacob and Derek following a little ways behind. Joy fills Jakron's emptied heart as he turns to wipe the wetness away from his eyes. Glaring at Professor Harington Jakron can't believe that she would be so mean.

Hale promptly arrives, quickly making out Jakron's reddened eyes, Hale also glares at the instructor.

"Did she say mean things to you Jakron? When we first came she told us that you were unlikely to awaken. It wasn't till a week later that we heard from Master Bain that you were recovering well and should awaken after a period of time," Hale tells Jakron while giving Professor Harington an angry scowl.

Laughing while holding her stomach, Professor Harington watches the two of them stare at her as Jacob and Derek finally arrive.

"It was a joke, a joke," she continues to laugh, "I just wanted to tease him for a moment. Didn't I immediately notify you guys like I said I would?" Professor Harington says while wiping the tears from her eyes.

Jakron breathes out a sigh of relief. "So Ella isn't gone and Drego doesn't want to kill me?" Jakron asks everyone.

Immediately Jakron sees his three friends lower their heads in embarrassment. "Well Ella and Lily are gone currently, but I've talked to Lily and they expect to come back. Just not in the near future," Hale tells Jakron in a quiet voice.

"And Drego?" Jakron asks again.

"I don't know if it is true, but the word around the school is that he was pretty pissed at you. If the Headmaster wouldn't have intervened he said he would have squashed you like a bug," Jacob mutters to Jakron.

"But don't worry about him. Shortly after the fight he left the academy for the capital and won't be returning," Derek quickly says to try and liven the mood.

"Ok that is good I need more time. What do you guys think I should do now?" Jakron asks his friends.

"I think you should take some missions and leave the school for a bit," a deep voice filled with authority interrupts Jakron's friends.

Turning their heads everyone sees a large man with dark hair and a beard walk in. He is wearing a black robe with a design that almost looks exactly like the one from Headmaster Yarvin's cave. This man radiates power and his presence fills the room. Jakron's friends all bow their heads in respect and step out of the way. Even Professor Harington becomes demure after noticing the man.

"I know you," Jakron says while looking up at the man, "you saved my life during the tournament."

"That's right. I'm Headmaster Emanth." Boisterously laughing Headmaster Emanth looks a Jakron with mirth. "You know I don't want to make things hard for you, but rules are rules. It wouldn't be fair for the other students if I treated you differently."

"Thank you," Jakron says with complete sincerity. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"You do something for me?" Headmaster Emanth laughs, "I'm in the Lord Realm and the headmaster for this academy. There is nothing that you can do for me at your realm and it is my responsibility to safeguard you inside the academy," Headmaster Emanth says with a large smile on his face.

"Again thank you, Headmaster. I don't know how to express my gratitude," Jakron tells the headmaster while trying to bow his sitting body.

"Jakron I think you will blossom if you take up some missions. For now, heal up and then get out of the academy and explore. There is a wide world out there and this academy is just a small piece of it. With your current strength, you should be fine taking care of some missions," the headmaster says while clapping Jakron on the shoulder.

"Ok Headmaster I will heed your words and again thank you," Jakron again tries to express his gratitude.

After the headmaster left, Hale, Jacob, and Derek surround Jakron again.

"What are you going to do?" Hale asks while looking at Jakron curiously.

"I think the Headmaster has a point. I'm going to take some missions and gain some experience," Jakron tells his friends.

"I can go with you," Derek immediately volunteers.

"Me too," Hale and Jacob say together.

"Guys it will be okay. I think it will be good for me to do this on my own," Jakron says to his friends trying to comfort their obvious worry.

"You guys are so cute," Professor Harington quips at them while walking next to Jakron's bedside. "A big strong romantic man like Jakron will be just fine," the professor says while gliding the back of her hand across his cheek while giving him an exaggerated wink.

"Please, Professor don't tease me anymore. I don't think I can take it," Jakron says while leaning away from her touch.

"Who says I'm teasing," the professor says while barely containing her mirth at Jakron's discomfort while walking out of the room.

"I'm glad she has someone else to harass now," Hale says while breathing out a sigh of relief.

"It is funny watching her tease you and your relationship with Lily," Jacob says while Derek and he snickered.

"Alright let's give Jakron some rest. We are so glad that you woke up Jakron. When do you expect to leave?" Derek asks Jakron.

"I'm going to try to leave tomorrow."

"Are you sure? Have you healed already? I don't think there is any reason to rush," Jacob tells Jakron with worry.

"I'm fine guys. I already feel that I've been in this bed for forever. After picking some missions tomorrow I'll be leaving"

"Do you want me to at least relay a message to Ella?" Hale asks.

"Just tell her that I'm happy that she is ok and hopefully we can talk when I get back," says Jakron with a weak smile.

"Really that's it," Derek ask with a small smile.

"What else am I supposed to say. We don't know each other that well. I don't want to force my feeling on her more than I already have," Jakron tells his friends.

"Alright let's go," Jacob says while herding Derek and Hale out of the room.

Relaxing in the bed Jakron feels his still exhausted body drift to sleep as he dreams about leaving the academy.

...…

The next day Jakron briefly meets his friends and collects his few belongings in his room. After that, he heads to the Mission Hall to find some missions that interest him.

Browsing through the different missions Jakron see a wide variety of available quest. Some are as simple as delivering a package, while others involve looking for a rare green in the desert or hunting a notorious bandit.

Each mission carries a rating depending on the difficulty. The lowest and easiest reasons fall under F and can be completed by just about anyone in the Mortal Realm. From there they continually increase in difficulty to SS. The SS missions are made for the Connate Realm experts, student or professor, in the academy.

The highest mission that Jakron fellas capable of currently taking are at the A level. These missions are for experts at the peak of the Initiated Realm. While Jakron isn't actually that far along in his cultivation, with the experiences and power he had recently gained he feels that he should be able to accomplish them.

After some slight hesitation, Jakron eventually grabs a few bounty hunter quests that are in the Ezoleth Desert. These missions should allow Jakron to practice the battle strategies that he plans on learning from the books that he got from Jacob and Derek.

After registering for the missions Jakron heads out from the school. On the way, Jakron goes ahead and buys a significant amount of food and water. This is made easier by the space ring Jakron has. Jakron also purchases a map. While the missions give a general direction of the bounties that he will be hunting it doesn't actually include a map.

Finally, Jakron leaves the city of Taal and starts walking towards the desert in the distance. He can still remember Tyrion's memories of his escape from Drego and the loan sharks. Jakron promises himself that when he gets back he will quietly resolve his hatred for the loan sharks. Then when he is strong enough his even deeper hatred with Drego.

After making it far enough from the city Jakron replaces his student robes with the black Shimmering Robe. While in the academy it was better to hide the unique robe of the original headmaster, now it is safer to wear the robe for the added protection that it offers.

Initiating his powers Jakron begins to perform the Time Shift movement technique. Jakron plans to use every waking moment to train his abilities while out in the desert.