Dorian instantly found himself once more in the misty white Evolution Space from before. The process to evolve between Growth Stages was automatic, apparently.

In front of him, the outline of his Red Salamander body appeared, floating in the air. It was slightly translucent, but looked identical to him apart from that, complete with the small wounds in his scales on his right arm.

As he watched, the body slowly transformed. It extended from being just a bit over a meter and a half long to around meter and two thirds in length. The red scales on the body of the Red Salamander seemed to meld together and become glossier, inherently becoming tougher. His claws took on a very faint red hue, and the overall muscles on his body increased a bit.

-Body Transformation Complete-

-Red Salamander – Growth Stage: (4/5) Mature Adult-

– Growth Progress – 686/956 –

"Huh. So that's me right now. That ring's energy really helped out, wow." He muttered, examining his body closely. As he was in the midst of examining himself, a pair of new screens popped up.

-New Ability Gained-

Ability: Flame Claws

Description: A basic low level ability of Flame Bears, Flame Tigers, and other Flame aspected creatures. One imbues energy within one's claws, superheating them and giving them a deadly burning potential. The more energy is imbued, the more powerful the heat. The ability is learned naturally through the development of their bloodline.

As soon as this ability appeared, a store of knowledge on how to use it appeared in Dorian's mind. He immediately understood how to move energy from his Soul to his claws, and how to concentrate that energy so that his claws became superheated, while protecting his own body and scales from being burned.

"Whoa. Interesting." He said aloud as he read over the writing. As he read over it, he felt more than saw this ability merge with his Soul Spell Matrix, condensing into a collection of symbols and merging with the golden bead of light in his Soul. Abilities like this were stored in his Soul Spell Matrix, the knowledge permanently recorded.

"Ausra. How strong is my Soul?" According to the information he now knew, the basic power of this type of attack was dependent on his Soul, where his Soul Spell Matrix was located. The more powerful his Soul, the more energy he could draw from it and imbue into his claws. Beings with strong Souls could use stronger techniques and had more energy and power, typically.

It made sense. One's Soul Spell Matrix was located in their Soul, it only followed that a being with a strong Soul would be stronger.

Instead of responding, a new screen appeared in his mind.

Dorian – Soul Status

Soul Stage: Earth Stage (Peak)

Health: Perfect

A brief screen listed his Soul's status. Dorian stared at it for a moment, not comprehending.

"Ausra, can you explain this?" He tried to wave a hand at the screen in front of him, forgetting he was formless in his Evolution Space. Ausra seemed to understand regardless, responding,

"Your Soul Stage is the Stage your Soul is at in its growth. Growing from one Stage to the next is very difficult, and usually requires an accumulation of both time and energy. You are presently at the Peak of the Earth Soul Stage. Half of the creatures in the 30,000 worlds never cross above the Earth Stage of their Soul." As Ausra spoke, a new screen appeared.

—Soul Stages—

Ascendancy

Angelic

King

Lord

Grandmaster

Master

Sky

Earth (Current)

Mortal

"This is a list of the separate Stages of the Soul you can develop."

Dorian looked up and down the list. As he glanced over the 'Angelic Stage' he remembered the message the ring had given him talked about reaching that Stage. The respect he had for that fallen Mage grew.

"So at least I'm not at the bottom level, huh. This is kind of like a video game from Earth. Ausra, is there any fast way for me to increase the strength of my Soul?" It seemed the strength of his Soul was closely related to his own personal strength. He would be far safer if he had a strong Soul than not.

"Increasing the strength of your Soul takes an accumulation of time and energy, a natural process of growth. However, your unique Soul Spell Matrix can provide a shortcut, in a manner. By developing and absorbing powerful bloodlines and maturing them, you can speed up the growth of your Soul. The stronger the bloodline, the more the enhancement. Continue to Evolve, and your strength will become limitless." Ausra replied.

Dorian nodded with understanding, and then promptly exited his Evolution Space. The world flashed around him briefly and then vanished, the forested area and stream once more appearing around him. Time seemed to flow slowly in his Evolution Space, making it appear as if no time had passed at all.

As he reappeared, Dorian stretched his body, feeling the long, melded scales of the mature Red Salamander flex. He felt stronger, and more powerful than before, with a noticeable enhancement. He glanced over at his right arm, noting that the injuries he had taken had fully healed. The size of his body, including his muscles, teeth, and claws, had all grown by a level.

As he noted this, he saw that the ring he had worn on his right claw was no longer present. He blinked and took a step back, searching the ground for it in panic.

After searching for a few seconds, he found the shattered remains of the ring scattered in the grass near the rocks off the river. Whether from his own physical growth, or from releasing the energy within, the ring had turned into a worthless pile of metal.

Dorian grunted, and shrugged, a rather odd looking movement for a meter and a half long, and a little less than a meter tall, Red Salamander. He looked at his claws and focused on the information he had just gained, the ability 'Flame Claws.'

As he read into it, it appeared that this was the most basic type of ability. The information inscribed in his Soul Spell Matrix outlined how he could draw energy from his Soul in a specific pattern to heat his claws, and how this would also provide a buffer of energy at the base of his claws to avoid burning himself.

He decided to test it immediately. His surrounding area was still devoid of any other large creatures, though that wouldn't last long in this jungle. He was safe for now.

Dorian closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly, he looked inward and saw the small golden bead that was his Soul Spell Matrix.

This golden bead within him was surrounded by a translucent bubble, about the size of his fist. This was his Soul. A near formless construct of energy that inherently represented who he was, and connected him to his Soul Spell Matrix.

According to the information from the ability he had gained by evolving, all Dorian needed to do was will the energy in his Soul to move along his body into his claws in a specific manner.

Dorian gave it a shot, focusing on his Soul. After a few moments, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling. Slowly, this feeling spread throughout his body. It slowly began to congregate on his right claw, moving naturally in the pattern that had been recorded on his Soul Spell Matrix.

After a few moments of concentration, Dorian felt his claws start to take on a noticeable amount of heat. He opened his eyes, maintaining his concentration, and stared at his right claw closely, examining it.

His claws had slowly taken on a very faint red tinge over their normal black luster, starting to match the red scales at their base. He tapped one of his claws lightly on the grass beneath him, watching a few pieces sizzle.

The warm energy within him made him feel energized, though he didn't feel any stronger than usual. Dorian took a few tentative steps forward, and then made an enormous leap, jumping at one of the nearby tall trees.

THWUK

He crashed down a half dozen meters up the tree, accidentally overshooting his target. He scrambled to hold on as he sank his claws into the tree. He had forgotten he had just reached the next Growth Stage of his Red Salamander body, and grown stronger as a result.

As soon as his front claws made contact, however, they melted through the outer layer of the tree, sinking in. Several bursts of fire formed and then went out. As he did so, Dorian felt an unsettling tiring feeling. He immediately stopped drawing on energy from his Soul as he clutched onto the tree, feeling slightly dizzy.

"Ausra, can you show me how much energy is in my Soul? Standardize my maximum amount at 100%. Also list how long it will take me to fully recharge." As he grew more familiar with the Genie and his Soul Spell Matrix, he had figured out more convenient ways to display things, the engineer in him demanding specifics.

A blue screen appeared in his mind, his Soul Status screen from before, but with an extra line added to it.

Dorian – Soul Status

Soul Stage: Earth Stage (Peak)

Health: Perfect

Energy: 47% (Will fully restore in 41 minutes)

"Geez, this ability draws a lot of energy." Dorian muttered. He slowly pulled his claws out of the tree, seeing the mangled wood and holes. The tree itself was wider than he was, and thankfully wasn't in any danger of falling over. It also seemed very flame resistant.

"Hmm." He muttered, thinking, "Maybe it's not the ability that draws it, but how I use it. Perhaps my application is inefficient. I should practice more." He ran through a few exercises he might try, to help him get used to his newer body, and to practice manipulating his Soul's energy.

A loud roar from a creature drawing close distracted Dorian, though, as he looked up slightly fearful. Despite having just evolved a Growth Stage, he knew there were far stronger creatures than him in this forest. He quickly scampered up the tree and ran off, jumping from limb to limb as he made his way through the forest, away from the small stream.

…

Dorian clambered down the tree he was currently on, looking at the collection of mountains that stood tall before him. The mountains were huge, grey and black edifices, covered with sharp ledges and steep drop offs. Unlike the forests behind him, which teemed with life, these mountains seemed foreboding, and dangerous.

Two days had passed since Dorian found the magic ring and reached the 4th Growth Stage of his Red Salamander body. In that time, he had grown used to his larger and stronger body, and made his way towards the mountainous region he had first spawned next to.

He had also become much more proficient at using his 'Flame Claws' ability. The ability itself was apparently just a low level technique. The more Dorian practiced it, the more he realized he knew very little about how his Soul worked, and how the energy in it, and the Soul Spell Matrix in it, worked.

By now, Dorian had more or less adapted to the shock of living in this strange new world. Instead of practicing math or studying physics, Dorian found that he had become slightly obsessed with understanding his Soul, and the Matrix within it. It was incredibly fascinating, and the secrets Dorian felt they held enticing. Whole worlds of knowledge lay untouched before him, and this wasn't an opportunity he would waste.

Through steady trial and error, Dorian discovered that by strictly controlling the energy that flowed in the pattern recorded by his Soul Spell Matrix, he could raise the efficiency of the energy his Soul put out. He not only needed to let the energy flow naturally in the 'Flame Claws' pattern, but he also needed to control it so it moved precisely as the Matrix said.

By doing so, he found that he could keep his claws burning for up to ten minutes, and they would turn a fiery red, instead of the dim red from before, burning much hotter.

Dorian shook himself as he refocused on the mountains before him. He specifically turned his eyes to a pair of mountains that stood next to each other. These two mountains were some of the largest in his vision. They were both unique, however, in that their peaks were completely shattered, with huge, enormous gaps clawed down the sides of the mountain.

"Between two shattered mountains, in the darkest pit of this valley…" Dorian repeated part of the message the magic ring had spoken, his eyes glinting as he looked at the two shattered peaks. He then carefully began making his way around the base of the mountain he stood on, headed towards the two mountains with shattered peaks.

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