Jon exited his Sea Of Knowledge, the faint sounds of snoring and breathing emanating from the four sleeping aliens at his sides. The sounds of crackling twigs and branches had long since died down, leaving naught but a handful of occasional embers shooting up into the night sky.

It was Jon's turn to take watch over the camp, and despite having numerous summons as his conversational companions, the young human found himself not in the mood to talk. His brows furrowed as he remembered the conversation he had with Schwarz Eis.

Jon cradled the red-silver coloured Mana Core in his hands, glancing towards the slumbering form of Titus Claudius sleeping next to Avahni, and the little ginseng sitting idly next to Ashvattha Rana.

Despite Ru Luan Di not being his own summon, Jon found the little ginseng king quite the interesting lifeform. Perhaps Jon thought that there existed certain similarities between his personality and the Liver Of The Ginseng King, so he always found the presence of the creature reassuring.

He definitely did not find the presence of his newest summon quite so comforting. Despite the White Lady Of The Silver Castle being comfortable in her new existence as a summoned companion, there was something about her presence, or the way she seemed to know every move that Jon would make that made the human hesitate to trust her.

Jon made sure to suppress these thoughts that he was having, knowing that Schwarz Eis was capable of peering into his Sea Of Knowledge without him even realizing it. Seeing her able to scoop out specific memories and experiences as if reaching into a shallow river and picking up a stone, causing Jon to become more than wary of the White Lady Of The Winter Castle.

Given that her abilities were related to manifesting physical and spiritual defensive constructs, Jon did not know how she was able to manipulate his Sea Of Knowledge without his consent. Manipulation of spiritual energy was something that Jon had little to no experience in, knowing that he had just begun to shape and form his Mana Cores into something other than the spherical gemstone model that he had formed within his mind.

He did suspect that it had something to do with [Licht Weiss; Right Hand Of Winter] that Schwarz Eis had manifested from her Memento Source Fragment.

He still did not understand what such a thing was, although there was no doubt in his mind that it was related to the Memento Trait she had in her effect description.

It was then that Jon felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest. His figure grew rigid at the sudden initiation of physical contact, shivers creeping up his arms and shoulders. The flesh-shaped ice of Schwarz Eis cold to the touch, even without her Memento Source Fragment manifested on her right arm.

"Penny for your thoughts, master?" the winter demon spirit asked, enjoying the human idioms that Jon had accumulated within his memories. Schwarz Eis resting her chin on Jon's shoulder, noticing that his expression had worsened with her appearance.

A teasing smile appeared on the face of the White Lady Of The Winter Castle.

"Oh? Have I struck a nerve, Jonathan? How delightfully immature you are. I must say, for a Race than cannot live beyond a universal century, you must be quite young amongst the other human participants," Schwarz Eis said, causing Jon to turn towards her, the corners of his mouth turned downwards.

"Is there something you want, Schwarz Eis?" Jon asked, his tone quite terse.

Schwarz Eis shrugged her shoulders, gesturing towards the red-silver Mana Core in his hands. From just a single glance at the spiritual energy contained within the Mana Core, the winter demon spirit was able to determine its name and nature.

"A War Mana Core is quite the rarity you know? Given the other four Mana Cores you have integrated, it should possess quite a number of synergies with both your Knowledge Mana Core and Spear Mana Core. You are lacking an ability with the Movement Trait, and Ashvattha Rana informed me of your desire to obtain some sort of storage ability."

"If you manage to obtain a Fragment Of Library you might manifest quite the interesting ability. Although a Fragment Of Vault or a Fragment Of Archive might produce a similar result," Schwarz Eis admitted, tapping the side of her cheek with her finger.

Jon raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Fragment Of Library but hid it the moment he saw Schwarz Eis turn towards him and grin. His cheeks turned slightly pink at the feeling of her form draped against his shoulder and back, trying to hide it with a question of his own.

"Did you experience a System Introduction back when you were alive?" given that she had peered into the memories accumulated within his Sea Of Knowledge, Jon felt it only fair that he ask a question about her own past in return.

He did not expect Schwarz Eis to shake her head, showing a wistful expression on her face.

"I wish I was allowed to participate. I was born long after the sixth universe had already experienced their System Introduction, although I was fortunate that one of my ancestors had participated. Our family was once so powerful that I could have had any Mana Core I ever wanted, even granting me a Memento Source Fragment before even becoming a Knight," Schwarz Eis confessed, causing Jon to peer at the winter demon spirit with a more curious expression on his face.

"Memento Source Fragment?", he could not help but ask.

Removing her right arm from Jon, Schwarz Eis manifested [Licht Weiss], the beautiful, ornate black pauldron and gauntlet extended from her shoulder all the way down the length of her arm. Despite the lack of light, Jon could see see just how sharp each of the metallic-claws on the fingers of the gauntlet, knowing that each were capable of matching Assail without being overloaded.

Gesturing towards the piece of armour, Schwarz Eis smiled, noticing that Jon's focus was firmly placed on the Memento Source Fragment in front of him. Despite how youthful her master was, she was pleased that his attention did not linger on her rather than the object in question.

She no longer possessed a Beauty Mana Core and was tied to the Ice Mana Core that Jon had integrated. Although its influence was still undeniable due to her Title of White Lady Of The Winter Castle, Schwarz Eis found herself thankful that she had not been manifested from a Beauty Mana Core, or even a Desire Mana Core.

"While Ashvattha Rana was unable to tell you without risking future Mortal Title Fragments, I am able to tell you due to the fact that I possess the Memento Trait. It is an annoying distinction that the System places on individuals that choose to become summons, preventing them from just sharing all the information and knowledge they have accumulated with their summoner."

Stolen story; please report.

"A Memento Source Fragment is something that is not naturally manifested within the world. Unlike Mana Cores and fragments which can form when spiritual energy synergizes with its environment, a Memento Source Fragment is something created through the System and thus falls under its purview. It is… a metaphysical construct that directly interacts with the Source of an individual."

"The Source of an individual? I completed a task that required me to glimpse into my Source. Every time I integrate another Mana Core, I see something that I cannot explain in the distance. Is that my Source?" Jon asked, watching as Schwarz Eis nodded.

"Yes. Although even with the Rank that I once possessed, I am not able to interfere with the Source of another individual. What a Source is, and what a Source represents is different from person to person. Even I cannot help you with that regard. Although, a Memento Source Fragment creates a tangible link between the Source of an individual and the spiritual energies that exist within physical reality," Schwarz Eis explained.

"A Source, unlike a Mana Core, does not produce, refine or absorb spiritual energy. It is something "other" that perhaps almost no-one can completely comprehend. Although with the integration of a Memento Source Fragment, a connection between a Source and an additional Mana Core is created. Not one that has been integrated into oneself," the winter demon spirit explained, causing Jon to go wide eyed.

"An… additional Mana Core? As in a seventh Mana Core?!", the human almost shouted in surprise.

Schwarz Eis removed herself from Jon's back, sitting down on the log beside him. Titus Claudius stirred feeling the immense amount of ice spiritual energy beside him, opening three of his eyes and staring at the winter demon spirit.

The pair were communicating in Common, so it would not affect Avahni's chances of obtaining Mortal Title Fragments in the future.

Although, to hear this description from someone who once possessed the Rank of Duchess, the Custodian Of The Fire Swarm, in addition to the Earthen Treasury Womb and Shade-Seeking Shield Moss all seemed quite interested in what Schwarz Eis had to say.

The Liver Of The Ginseng King was once an existence on par with the White Lady Of The Winter Castle, although did not manifest with his own Memento Source Fragment.

"Yes. Although this seventh Mana Core can possess but a single Fragment at Mortality. The physical or metaphysical shape that the Mana Core takes changes depending on the Source of the individual, the Titles integrated into it, in addition to whether or not it is placed within a compatible shell. In the instance of my [Right-Hand Of Winter], I fused it with a Mortal Ranked spiritual pauldron."

"You are unable to increase the size of this Mana Core through the absorption of ambient spiritual energy. You are unable to overload the abilities manifested from this Memento Source Fragment. It also requires a complete Title in order to manifest itself, which is another problem in of itself. The benefits do outweigh the costs, however the barrier for entry is quite high," said Schwarz Eis, causing Jon to nod in understanding.

"Will the amount of spiritual energy within it increase after ascending from Mortal to Knight?" Jon asked.

"Yes it will. There are other benefits which occur after increasing your Rank, but that falls under the category of forbidden knowledge. Knight Ranked information requires a Knighthood in order to be obtained," said the winter demon spirit.

"In addition, Memento Source Fragments ignore the one fragment per Rank rule that your Mana Cores must follow. So even if you have already integrated a Fragment Of Summon into your Ice Mana Core, you can integrate another Fragment Of Summon into the Mana Core within your Memento Source Fragment," Schwarz Eis added on, causing Jon to hum while tapping his chin.

"Interesting. Although given that I cannot overload the ability, possessing an ability with the Summon Trait, such a thing would be quite the waste to have right?" said Jon, watching as Schwarz Eis grinned at him, playfully nudging her shoulder against his own.

"Nice, you picked up on that. But yes, I think perhaps the most common fragment integrated into a Memento Source Fragment is a Fragment Of Incarnation. Given that it is the sole drain on that single Mana Core, most warriors, brawlers, guardians and other close-quarters combatants use it with a near-perfect efficiency," Schwarz Eis grinned, tilting her head upwards to peer up at Jon's face.

"This was what Ashvattha Rana wanted to tell you but was unable to."

Jon looked down towards the White Lady Of The Winter Castle, shrugging his shoulders in way that mimicked her own actions. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, knowing that Schwarz Eis would have to remain manifested in order to protect him.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'll keep it in mind until I can obtain my final Mana Core," said Jon.

Holding the War Mana Core in his hands, he winked at her, watching as the winter demon spirit tilted her head to the side as Jon closed his eyes His figure slumping downwards, threatening to roll into the campfire in front of him if it was not for the timely interference of Schwarz Eis catching him mid-fall.

The silver-white haired woman let out a small tsk, adjusting Jon's posture so that he was laying down flat on the sands beneath him. Schwarz Eis brushed several strands of hair away from his face, reminiscing of the last time she had done this for her children.

"He can be quite childish when he wants to be, Lady Schwarz Eis," the voice of Ashvattha Rana echoing throughout the riverbank.

The White Lady Of The Winter Castle shrugged, smiling softly before turning her gaze towards the stash of fragments Jon had kept within his bag.

"Childish is fine. Jonathan has yet to truly experience what "life" is all about. He thinks he has formed preconceptions and beliefs that he will carry for the rest of his life, but he has yet to experience things that all sapient beings are capable of."

"Love. Heartbreak. Regret. Pleasure. Sorrow. Joy. Let me be perfectly honest with you Ashvattha Rana, Jon will not choose an Incarnation Mana Core. It might be what he thinks he desires, but at the end of the day, regardless of the form it takes, all men all desire the same simple thing in their lives", said Schwarz Eis, smiling as she brushed a finger against Jon's cheek.

"And what would that be, Lady Schwarz Eis?", asked the bodhi tree.

The winter demon spirit stared down at the young human, knowing that the Custodian Of The Fire Swarm, Shade-Seeking Shield Moss, and Liver Of The Ginseng King could hear them.

"To not be alone."

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