Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 18 - The Crystal (Patreon)

I wrote today's chapters earlier than normal and while I wasn't home, so I almost forgot to post them lol. Sorry about that.

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                                                                       Alexander North

I continue lying on my back panting in exhaustion for several seconds, ignoring the minor burns on my back and sides that I realize aren’t healing. Although I do question why an explosion of cold energy left burns in the first place. But that doesn’t matter.

|Analyzing crystal’s makeup...|

Oh, right. That.

I tilt my head up to look behind me, only to find the few frozen ones still in the nest scurrying away. And when I focus on my senses, I realize all of the frozen ones seem to be leaving the nest entirely. As if either that powerful frozen one or the crystal were the things keeping them here.

Considering that the crystal is still here though, I’m pretty sure it was probably the frozen one.

|Alexander’s hypothesis is incorrect. The crystal was emitting a frequency too weak for you to notice that attracted other frozen ones. Frozen ones with no greater than base instinct guiding them.|

Really? And why isn’t it emitting that frequency now? Is it because I removed it from the ground?

|Correct.|

Hmm. Okay, what about the analysis? How’s that going?

|Underway.|

Understood.

I let out a sigh while relaxing and looking up at the ceiling, still with the crystal hugged to my chest.

Time passes in silence with the only sound being that of the fading footsteps of the frozen ones leaving the nest. And after who knows how long, I find myself shooting up to a sitting position and focusing on the cavern again, only to find the cavern completely destroyed with ice having fallen from the roof, crushing the frozen one’s corpse. Meanwhile the corpse itself is empty of any energy.

Damnit, that means I can’t absorb its energy!

I got so used to the weak frozen ones that barely gave me any energy that I didn’t think about the energy of this big one. But I guess it doesn’t matter since it doesn’t have any to absorb.

Probably used the remnants that are usually left behind in its self-destruction.

That’s annoying. A frozen one that powerful probably would’ve given me a decent amount of energy.

I drop back down to my back with another sigh.

Well, nothing I can do about it, I guess.

|Analysis complete.|

Good. What can you tell me about the crystal?

|The crystal is just as was hypothesized. It will grant whoever eats it a new ability.|

I frown at the idea of eating this rather large crystal. A crystal larger than my entire head.

What ability will it give me?

|Unknown.|

Okay, why wasn’t the frozen one trying to eat the crystal?

|The crystal’s frequency stabilized after being removed. This has led to the hypothesis that the crystal was growing and would’ve given a stronger ability should it have been in the cavern for a longer period of time.|

The thing was growing? Interesting.

That explains why the bear was just guarding it and not eating the thing itself. It was waiting for the crystal to grow more so that it would give it a better ability.

But considering that it did this entirely on instinct alone… that’s a scary thought. It also likely means that the other nests are all locations with a crystal like this as well.

I can’t help but wonder just what these crystals are though.

Did you figure anything out on that front from your analysis?

|It is not possible to draw a certain conclusion from the limited data this unit has available, however a hypothesis has been reached. Would Alexander like to hear this unit’s hypothesis?|

Not enough data? Hmm, sure. Tell me your hypothesis.

|It is believed that the crystal was drawing on the energy of the planet’s core and converting it into pure cold energy instead of pure heat energy.|

That doesn’t sound good.

I’m guessing pure cold energy probably gives those abilities?

|This is merely a hypothesis.|

Understood.

I glance at the crystal with a frown on my face.

So… how am I supposed to eat this?

|Put it in your mouth and chew.|

Ha, ha. Very funny.

|This unit does not understand the user’s response to this unit’s query answer. Would Alexander mind-|

No. It was sarcasm.

I forgot the terminal only recently gained sapience. Or pseudo sapience.

It doesn’t understand humor yet.

Several seconds pass in silence as I stare at the crystal with a frown on my face. Then I let out a sigh and bring it to my mouth, biting into one of the shards sticking out of the large and jagged crystal. But to my surprise, the shard pretty much dissolves the moment it enters my mouth. I don’t even have to chew it.

|The shard is made of pure cold energy, not physical substance. There would be nothing to chew.|

I roll my eyes at the terminal.

Now you tell me.

The crystal doesn’t have a flavor either. And it isn’t even going down my throat. It’s almost as if the thing is just dissolving the second it enters my mouth, with the energy just going straight into my body instead of down my throat.

So I continue eating it. And eating. And eating.

It isn’t until after I’m about halfway done through eating the crystal that I notice a strange surge of energy forming around my fingers. Specifically around my nails as my claws extend despite me already having retracted them after the battle.

Is the new ability going to be related to my claws?

I continue eating the crystal, and after another quarter of the crystal is eaten, my claws begin to glow with a blue light. One similar to the light in my eyes.

Yeah, the ability is definitely going to involve my claws somehow.

And so I keep eating all the way till I finally finish the crystal, at which point the light coming from my claws suddenly flashes once, then twice.

Then the brightness goes all the way up to the point that I have to close my eyes.

And when the light finally fades and I open my eyes again, I find my claws having returned to a dull glow. Something that wasn’t there before.

Interesting.

I wonder what it does?

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