The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 59 - From Protagonist to Intruder

Tave gasped. Choking. His chest burned violently, as if his heart had been set ablaze. Heat poured from the inside out, raw and searing, like molten fire coursing through his veins.

His core, already battered from the binding process, was failing. The fire elemental energy had tried to nest itself inside, pushing too much, too fast.

And it had failed.

The elemental force rejected his core, almost shattered it.

Damn it!

If his core broken completely, he wouldn't just lose the Gaia Force. He'd die.

Gritting his teeth, Tave forced himself upright. Every movement screamed. Just lifting his eyelids felt like hauling stone. But he had to try. He had to survive. Giving in now?

Not a chance.

He steadied his breath, shut his eyes tightly, and reached inward. Focusing on the near-shattered heart of his power.

He could feel it. The cracks. The instability. The agony of fire trying to flood into a vessel already pushed to its edge.

ARGHHHHH!

He screamed through clenched teeth, his entire body trembling as he fought to keep his consciousness intact.

Inside his mind, he saw it. The fire elemental energy erupted from his core, furious, chaotic, refusing to take root.

It spun out wildly, rejecting everything.

[ Fire Elemental Energy Rejection Detected. ]

[ Your core is unable to contain the elemental force. ]

[ Spiritual rejection in progress. ]

"Damn it...!" he whispered through the pain.

"Just go! Leave! I can't hold you. Just... go!"

But then, he felt it.

Something strange. Something new.

The fire didn't vanish.

It coiled. It didn't disperse. It gathered. Wildly. Aggressively. Not into his current core... but right next to it.

"Wait... No. No way..."

[ Unstable Elemental Surge Detected. ]

[ New Core Formation in Progress. ]

[ A secondary elemental core is attempting to manifest. ]

"HELL! NO WAY! A new core?!"

A new fucking core?!

Tave's eyes snapped open, then clenched shut again as his body convulsed. The blazing energy wasn't fading. It was being pulled, drawn in.

Not into the core he'd always known. But into something new. Something impossible.

A second core.

Right beside his first.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

It shouldn't happen. A core was tied to the soul. One soul, one core. No exceptions. No precedents.

Unless...

Unless this body wasn't just bound into a single soul.

Was it because he had taken over the old Tave's body...?

Was this the cost or the result of slipping through the reset of the world?

It felt like it would never end.

Tave gritted his teeth. Every nerve in his body screamed as the fire tore through him from the inside. But through the agony, there was a shift. Something was changing. The pain was no longer just destruction. It had a center, a rhythm, a pull.

The new core was no longer just forming. It was anchoring.

He could feel it, deep within his chest. A fierce, burning force coiling tighter and tighter, taking shape, stabilizing. The energy no longer rejected him.

It was becoming a part of him.

And then...

[ New Core Successfully Formed. ]

[ A secondary Gaia Core has been integrated into your spiritual system. ]

[ Affinity Update: Fire Affinity (High) Acquired. ]

[ You have advanced to Level 19. ]

Tave opened his eyes, his breath shallow, and ragged. The moment he inhaled deeply, his body gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. Chest rising and falling fast, he let himself surrender. Finally, to the weight of exhaustion.

He lay there for a while. Still. Silent. Just breathing.

Trying to steady himself from everything that had just happened, the chaos, the pain, the impossible.

He had done it.

He had bound a Unique-grade spirit. He had awakened a new core. He had gained a new affinity to Fire. And... he'd leveled up.

To Level 19.

He could feel the change.

The surge of fresh energy from his level-up was moving through him, coursing through his veins like a calm, slow river. It didn't erase the pain, but it dulled it, and soothed it. It was like the energy was stitching him back together from the inside, bit by bit.

So, he stayed there.

Just letting himself feel. The pain. The burn. The relief. The peace that came after a storm.

Time passed. He didn't know how much. Minutes, maybe hours. But finally, when his mind was quiet again, he sat up slowly.

He folded his legs, placed his hands on his knees, and closed his eyes.

It was time to meditate. To reach inward and understand the new state of his soul. To find this second core, now resting beside the first.

To see what he had truly become.

He focused. Fully, deeply.

His breath slowed. His thoughts stilled. And then, with his senses sharpened, he saw it.

The air around him shimmered with particles, dark elemental wisps weaving slowly through the atmosphere, and fire elemental sparks glowing like embers suspended midair. They were clear now, unmistakable. Especially the fire, which danced brilliantly around the sword lying just before him.

And it was beautiful. Truly beautiful.

The flame from the blade didn't lash out or burn. It drifted, flowed and then, slowly, began to draw into him. It entered gently, not with violence, but with warmth.

He felt it.

As the fire streamed into his body, a soothing sensation followed. Like the pain was being washed away. The ache in his bones, the throb of his burns. It all began to dull.

Wait... was this the spirit's doing?

Was Kaelira's fire... healing him?

It felt that way. And for the first time since the binding, Tave let himself relax. He stayed like that, letting the warmth do its work. Letting his body recover. Even if his soul, shaken and fractured, would take far longer to heal.

He knew he had a long way to go in unlocking Kaelira's true power. There was more to explore, more to understand. But for now, knowing that he had secured this Relic, this incredible force, was enough.

It had been a brutal journey. A test most wouldn't survive. But he hadn't backed down, not even once. Not when he was burning alive. Not when the spirit screamed in defiance. Not even when he declared he'd become the strongest, in a moment where death was more likely than victory.

And he didn't regret it.

Hah!

Tave let out a long breath, finally opening his eyes.

He had no idea how long he'd been meditating. But it should have been past midnight.

He'd been gone for too long. His team would be waiting.

Tave glanced down, examining his body. Burn marks and scorched skin still clung to him, but they were healing, astonishingly fast. Much faster than anything he'd experienced before.

And deep down, he knew. He had unlocked something far greater than he ever expected.

It felt unreal. Like the power of a protagonist.

He chuckled under his breath.

"What is this? The author who became an extra slowly turning into the new lead character?"

Reaching forward, he grasped his sword. The moment his fingers touched the hilt, a faint glow flickered around it. A soft flame, curling gently along the blade.

He stared at it for a moment, letting the fire's warmth settle into his palm.

This was his now. A spirit-bound weapon. A living relic.

He gave it a few slow swings, testing its weight. Despite the exhaustion still gnawing at him, he could feel the strength resonating from within the blade. It was powerful, immensely powerful. And it was his.

But then, his ear twitched.

A faint sound echoed from the cave's mouth.

A voice.

A familiar voice.

"Lily...?"

He turned slightly, listening closer.

Yes, he could hear it now. Lily called his name, her voice faint but unmistakable, traveling through the stone corridor.

Was she looking for him?

He'd told her he was coming here. But also told her not to worry. That he'd be back before morning.

Clearly, she hadn't listened.

He smiled. Just a little.

With one last glance at the still-glowing sword in his hand, Tave turned toward the passage, steadying his steps.

It was time to return. Back to his team.

Until... A figure stepped into the chamber.

Tave froze. His fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of his sword as his instincts flared.

That wasn't Lily.

His eyes narrowed, focusing. The flickering glow from the lava cast shadows across the cavern walls, but even in that shifting light, Tave could make out the figure clearly. A man. Short blonde hair. Sharp gaze. Calm steps. Unfamiliar.

Not Elias.

Not Orion.

Not Oriana.

Not anyone from the team.

Who...?

No one else was supposed to be here. No one!

The Rift was sealed. Their squad was the only one inside. So who was this?

The stranger approached slowly, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips. There was nothing outwardly threatening in his expression. But it was the kind of calm that felt dangerous.

Only when the man came closer did Tave truly see his face. And the moment he did, his blood turned to ice.

His breath hitched. His entire body locked. Like his heart had just stopped.

No. It can't be.

This was... this was the man he saw back then. Back when he first woke up in this world, after that damn cup of coffee in his old life.

The one bleeding in the ruins of a battlefield. A sword buried into the ground before him. Dying.

That face. those eyes.

It was him.

The blonde man came to a stop, just a short distance away.

"Nice to meet you, Tave," he said, softly. Like he'd known him all along.

Tave's lips parted, but no sound came out. His voice caught in his throat. The weight of recognition crashed over him like stone.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

...Theo?