Damon's vision flickered. A loud ringing drowned out every other sound. But he controlled the flow with painful precision.
CRACK.
"Nine."
The moment it opened, a wave of shadow essence slammed into him, harder than before, as if the lake sensed how close he was to completion and was trying to drag him those last few steps over the edge.
Damon snarled and held his ground. Then he moved on to the final meridian. The tenth. The last. The one closest to the crown of his skull. The one with the highest fatality rate in the game, because one wrong surge of energy here didn't just rupture a nerve. It crushed the brain itself.
Damon exhaled, steadying every thought in his mind. His heart slowed. His mana gathered at the base of his spine.
