A Western Kid’s Journey into the Eastern Cultivation World

The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning crystal and the stench of ozone as the blinding light from the explosion finally faded. Jack coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the dust and debris that filled the chamber. His ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry, but he forced himself to look around, searching for his companions.​"Lyra! Keeper! Elder Li!" he called out, his voice hoarse.​"Here," came a weak reply from his left. Lyra emerged from behind a large chunk of fallen crystal, her clothes even more tattered than before and a new cut on her cheek. "I'm okay, but I don't know about the others."​Just then, the Keeper stumbled into view. Her ice - blue sword was gone, and her armor was dented and covered in black soot. "I'm alive," she said, but her voice lacked its usual strength. "Elder Li's over there." She pointed to a pile of rubble where the old man lay, still unconscious.​Jack rushed to Elder Li's side. He was breathing, but his face was pale as a sheet. "We need to get him out of here," Jack said, worry etched on his face.​But before they could move, a strange, high - pitched whining sound filled the air. Jack looked up and his blood ran cold. Several swirling, pitch - black portals had opened up in the ceiling and walls of the chamber. Dark, tendril - like mist seeped out of them, curling along the floor and walls, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.​"What are those?" Lyra asked, her voice trembling.​Jack shook his head. "I don't know, but they can't be good. The energy... it feels even more malevolent than the guardian's." As he spoke, he could feel the merged orb in his chest pulsing erratically. The new power he had just unlocked seemed to be reacting to the portals, surging and ebbing within him in an unpredictable manner.​Suddenly, a figure emerged from one of the portals. It was a humanoid shape, but its body was made entirely of the same dark mist that filled the room. Its eyes glowed a malevolent purple, and it let out a screech that made the hair on the back of Jack's neck stand on end.​"More enemies," the Keeper growled. She bent down and picked up a shard of crystal, using it as a makeshift weapon. "We're in no state to fight."​Jack knew she was right. They were all injured and exhausted from the battle with the guardian. But he also knew they had no choice. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the power within him, but instead of the controlled flow he had experienced during the fight, the energy seemed to be rebelling. Pain shot through his head, and he stumbled, nearly falling to his knees.​The dark figure lunged towards them, its misty hands extending into sharp claws. Lyra threw a dagger at it, but it passed right through the creature without any effect. The Keeper charged forward, slashing at the figure with the crystal shard, but it simply reformed its body around the attack.​Just when it seemed like all was lost, a bright, golden light filled the chamber. Elder Li, who had finally regained consciousness, was holding his staff high. The cracks on the staff glowed with an intense light, and the symbols on it flared to life. "I'll hold it off," he shouted. "You three find a way to close those portals!"​Jack nodded, determination replacing the fear in his eyes. He knew that closing the portals was their only hope of survival, but with his new - found power going haywire, he wasn't sure if he could succeed. Still, he had to try. For the sake of his companions, and for the fate of all the worlds that were at stake.