Divine Awakening

Ash reviewed the three Notifications. The first referenced a new title called Perception Oracle, and when he focused on the name, a popup materialized with descriptive text.

Ping!

You have earned the following Title…

Perception Oracle

Requirement: Awakened Third Eye Chakra coupled with another Awakened Chakra

Attribute Bonus: +15 Awareness, +3 Willpower, +2 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence

Armor Class Bonus: +25 Physical, +10 Spiritual

Ash didn’t remember Awareness or Willpower the last time he looked at his Stats and opened his Profile to check. Sure enough, the attribute list had changed to reflect the new attributes. Willpower and Awareness were higher than the Perception Oracle bonuses, meaning he’d already possessed values for these attributes despite their previous hidden status.

Physical Attributes

Constitution: 19

Strength: 17

Nimbleness: 20

Charisma: 12

Mental Attributes

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 20

Awareness: 25

Willpower: 18

Armor Class

Physical: 50

Spiritual: 10

Resources

Health: 100%

Health Regeneration: 2% per second

Physical Energy: 100%

Physical Energy Regeneration: 0.5% per second

Mental Energy: 100%

Mental Energy Regeneration: 0.3% per second

The Physical Regen didn’t have any modifiers. If his math was right, it would take him just over three minutes to completely recover from an empty bar. He considered the decade plus he’d spent doing intense physical martial arts practice and wondered about the Regen of others. Their percentage would likely be a lot lower since few people could go from exhausted to full fighting strength in just a few minutes.

Ash’s Mental Regen bar appeared as well. His readout showed he’d gone from zero point one to zero point three, meaning it would take five and a half minutes to go from mentally drained to clear-headed. The extra Regen came from his Third Eye Chakra. The awakening increased his Mental and Spiritual resistances as well.

Resistances

Physical: 15%

Mental: 5%

Spiritual: 1%

Closing his Profile, Ash opened his second Notification, which informed him he’d Awoken his Third Eye.

Thrum!

Your struggle is rewarded Child of Enlightenment…

Third Eye Chakra, Awakened – Level 0

Mental Regeneration Bonus: +0.2%

Ash opened his Spiritual display and studied the indigo Third Eye chakra. The circle that represented it now contained eight smaller circles just like his Root chakra. The Activated chakras—Solar Plexus and Throat—only showed the outer circle, and the remaining chakras—Sacral, Heart, Crown, and Divine—sat Dormant and didn’t even have a circle.

Ash opened the last Notification.

Bing!

You have gained a new Ability…

Ability: Lesser Ripple

Description: Extend your Third Eye to view the Universe more clearly. Mental Energy consumption is dependent on chakra level, scope, and distance.

The Ability sounded interesting, and Ash was excited to test it later.

Nomad slowed, and Ash returned his entire focus to the real world as they entered a nondescript building. From the smell he guessed they’d reached the mess hall, and a moment later the soles of his sandals created a soft slapping sound against well-worn linoleum.

Despite being dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with bruises covering his body, no one gave Ash a second glance.

Nomad noticed him looking around. “This is a special operations base, and the usual rules of dress code and appearance are relaxed in favor of operational practicality.”

The interior was functional and spacious, with long rows of metal tables and benches. Bright fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting stark shadows under the bustling soldiers, contractors, and specialists grabbing their meals. Ash followed Nomad to the start of the serving line, where stainless steel trays and utensils gleamed.

"Get the beef stew if they've got it," Nomad suggested as he started down the line.

Ash nodded and swept his gaze over the food choices. He’d gone far longer than a day without food as part of his training, but he still felt the brunt of his stomach’s displeasure.

The servers behind the counter wore white aprons and caps, and moved efficiently as they filled plates and bowls. Ash grabbed a bowl of stew and, after a brief consultation with his stomach, took a second bowl. He added some mixed vegetables, a few dense pieces of cornbread, and three large glasses of water.

Finding a relatively quiet corner of the mess, they settled down, the metal of the bench cold against Ash’s shorts.

Nomad kept his silence as Ash attacked his food.

Ash tried to slow down on his second bowl of stew, and Nomad laughed, leaving the table to get two more bowls of stew for Ash.

“Thanks,” Ash said.

“No problem. I'll talk while you eat. You asked earlier if I had any advice about leadership. There's a difference between leading a small squad, giving direction to a guerrilla army, and commanding a battalion. For instance, how you interact with my team versus your team should be different.”

“Will I be interacting with your team much?”

“I'm not sure since the intel we have about our target is so terrible. I told you before that I've seen your file, and I know our only chance at surviving this lies with you.”

“No pressure,” Ash said as he ate the last of his cornbread.

“Facts are facts. Anyway, it will be impossible to hide my deference to your opinions. This will cause friction in my team as my actions will erode the confidence they have in my leadership. I told you before, I've been conditioning everyone for your arrival, but I think we should meet with my team first, as they’ll participate in a meet and greet far better if the civvies aren't around.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Learning how to deal with different types of people comes with experience, but I read a book once about the five Cs, and I’ve adopted the approach.”

Ash nodded his understanding.

“Leadership in our line of work isn’t about speeches or dog-and-pony shows; it’s about concrete actions and trust. So, the first C is for clarity. Uncertainty leads to hesitation. In our field, hesitation can be fatal. Make sure your team knows your intentions and goals.”

Ash nodded, knowing full well the truth of Nomad’s words. Ash had taken advantage of the usual confusion among the Narcos during their attacks, which always proved fatal for them.

“Consistency,” Nomad continued. “You’re a rock for your team. They look to you to set the standard. If you’re disciplined and consistent in your routines and expectations, they’ll rise to meet you. Inconsistency breeds confusion and undermines authority.”

Ash knew all about consistency. He’d spent his whole life doing the same things every day.

“Third C, competence,” Nomad shifted slightly, his demeanor serious. “I’ve seen you in action. You're decisive and deadly. Leadership is far more than your kill count, though, which is why when you asked for advice, it told me so much about you. It told me you’re a learner and interested in improving. You’ll need more, of course, but competence is the fastest way to earn that initial trust and respect. And it teaches your team to strive for the same.”

Needing to earn the trust and respect of others made Ash uncomfortable. He’d never cared about that in the past. And now, his failures might get others killed.

“Fourth is something else I know you have in spades: courage,” Nomad’s voice was firm, each word deliberate. “There’s no arguing your physical courage but think about moral courage—standing up for what’s right, even if it’s unpopular or risky. That’s harder to do here in the military but, where we’re headed, all the rules will go out the window. You’ll face tough decisions and your ability to choose right, even when it’s hard, will define your leadership.”

Ash felt a chill. He really didn't want to be an example for anyone or explain why he’d done something a certain way.

“So that might be a problem,” Ash said. “You’ve seen my file, so you know what I do, but that all happens kind of naturally. Intuitively. I don’t completely understand it myself, so I certainly can’t explain it to others.”

“Thanks for sharing that,” Nomad responded. “I wondered about that because you act so quickly. You’re the most decisive person I’ve ever seen in a combat situation, which is what I told the Captain. That means your team will need to learn trust, and that will come with shared experience. Don’t sweat it, just be honest. The fact is, trust is easy when the person you’re following is always right.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“And lastly, compassion,” Nomad said as his expression softened. “We’re all human. Remember that your team has limits. They have bad days, personal battles, and breaking points. Showing compassion doesn’t make you a soft leader; it makes you a wise one. They’ll fight harder for you if they know you care about them as people, not just as soldiers.”

Ash let out a slow breath, his Throat chakra resonating with the depth of conviction in Nomad’s words. He saw Nomad not as just a leader of soldiers but a leader of men, someone who understood the human element in the harsh world of military operations.

“Thanks, Nomad,” Ash said, his voice filled with respect. “I’ll do my best.”

Nomad gave a brief, acknowledging nod, his gaze steady on Ash. “I know you will. I’ve learned to trust my gut and I have a good feeling about you, Shamrock. Remember, leadership is less about leading and more about serving.”

Nomad picked up his tray, and Ash mirrored him.

“You ready to meet my team?” Nomad asked.

Ash sighed. Nomad had dropped enough clues that Ash knew what he needed to do. Of the five Cs, competence is what would matter the most to these highly trained men.

“Let’s do this,” Ash said.