Theo traveled along the river until it formed a small gulch. Land rising on both sides of the river from where it had cut its way free from a large rock formation over an untold number of years.

  Further in, he could see a small cave that poured water from its mouth into a small plunge pool that he couldn’t see the bottom of. His first thought was to ignore it, the great tree no more than a handful of stops away. But something inside of him called out to the unknown of the cave. There was fresh mana flowing from the mouth of it and unlike the stale wind mana that surrounded him, the mana from the cave was packed full of energy.

  It felt like water and wind had been twisted into one. The breeze above a lake, or the wind before a storm. Where it brushed on his skin it filled him with a strange sense of desire.

  Even if the cave did end up being empty, it would make for a great spot to rest while he hunted the surrounding area waiting for his leg to further heal. With a plan in mind, he went to the base of the fall. No more than ten or so feet above his head he would be able to use [body enhancement] to easily jump and pull himself up the ledge.

  Going through his bag, he grabbed the small flashlight he hadn’t needed yet due to the total lack of a day and night cycle in this place and taped it to his arm before tossing his spear up and clicking the light on.

  It hurt his leg to make the jump, but it was easier than he had been expecting. Underestimating his enhanced strength he almost cleared the lip of the ledge and barely needed to lift himself into the mouth of the cave.

  Even closer to the source, Theo felt that same calling inside of him. The mana in the core of his body fluctuating rapidly as it responded to the mana in the air.

  Spear raised in front of him, he pushed further into the darkness. The water flowing from the cave had cut through the rock and left a small walkway that was slick from the moisture in the air. After so long in the dry air of the world outside, it felt great. A cooling sensation that felt nice on his skin and in his lungs.

  The air was much cleaner than the outside as well. Losing the scent of rotten wood that Theo had grown nose blind to.

  Deeper and deeper he went, at first he was worried about marking his pathway back, the low light would have made it easy for him to make a wrong turn and get turned around and forever lost in the darkness. But there were no branching pathways. Just a very slight incline that went farther than the meager light that his flashlight gave off.

  After a time the walls of the cave began to give off a slight glimmer. Microscopic crystals grown in the darkness reflecting light for the first time in their existence bounced the light further and further until Theo could make out an opening ahead of him.

  He audibly gasped at the beauty before him. He had been on cavern tours before, some even having fantastical quartz formations that had their own alien beauty compared to the other wonders of Earth. But this trumped them all by far.

  Fist sized clusters of crystals grew from every surface but the floor. Most of them the clear crystal he would recognize as quarts, but others had their own colors or mixtures of them. The entire cave lit up with a rainbow hue as he shined his flashlight around.

  In the very center of the room, held in place by a massive stalactite and stalagmite was a perfectly formed crystal shaped like a four pointed star. Its surface a mirror polish that bled onto the tips on the rock holding it.

  It practically radiated mana into the air around him. More so the moment the light of his flashlight crossed over it and the sparking reflections intensified. Bouncing into the deep pool that surrounded the base of the stalagmite.

  Whatever the star was, it called to him. Theo could feel it in his bones. The mana that came into contact with him from it set his body craving.

  He might have felt bad about disturbing such beauty, but it was at that moment something burst from the water a short distance away.

  He yelped and dashed back, forgetting to use any of his skills as he locked eyes with a spider the size of a pony.

  He barely had time to leap aside with an enhanced burst of speed as the giant spider pounced in his direction.

  It was some kind of jumping spider, its hairy carapace mirrored and glistening like the star. It’s two forward facing eyes tracking him as it twitched around to face him readying another pounce.

  He failed to avoid it a second time, and the spider landed on him with a body shaking impact as he felt something in his chest give as the spider pressed down on his chest with one of his legs attempting to scoop him into a fang tipped hug.

  Theo tried to scream, but something in his chest felt wrong and pain made his vision flash white. Fight or flight kicked in once again and he blindly struck out with his free hand, having lost the grip on his spear.

  [Strike] impacted the soft connecting tissue at the base of the spider’s thorax, his hand sinking up to his wrist as he felt warm fluid drip down his arm.

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  He hadn’t known spiders could scream. But this one did. His ears rang as it screeched above him. The fangs that had been aiming to deliver a lethal bite pulled back as it screeched.

  Theo grabbed blindly with his hand, managing to get his good leg up, planting his foot on the underside of the spider. He pushed. Using every ounce of strength that [body enhancement] could provide.

  Despite the spider's size, it was sent flying off of him and Theo felt something rip from the inside of the spider as it went. Leaving him holding a slimy and slightly warm clump of spider clutched in his fist.

  Struggling to breathe, he shoved himself up as his desperation drove him to act. He didn’t take his eyes off the spider for more than a moment as he tried to find his spear. But when he glanced back it was already up again and readying another pounce.

  The two middle legs on the right side of the spider hung uselessly but that didn’t stop it from leaping in his direction once more. Rolling, Theo grunted as stars flashed in his vision from the twisting in his ribs. His hand snatched the broomstick haft of his spear as he dodged the now slightly slower spider.

  He managed to brace the haft of his spear against the floor just as the spider finished flying from an additional pounce and there was a wet punching sound as it sunk deep into the mouth of the monster.

  Pure luck on Theo’s part, but that wasn’t enough.

  The spider showing supernatural toughness sunk onto the spear until its fangs pierced deep into his shoulder. He felt a painful rush of fluid as it injected him with something. But the twitching of its leg signaled its death throes as it twitched to stillness. Its legs curling around him like a fuzzy cage.

  Struggling to escape he ripped himself free through the two legs on the spider's weakened side. He rounded on it half expecting it to jump at him again but his panicked mind finally registered that he had killed it. The rush of essence still flowing into him in a quantity and quality he hadn’t experienced from any of the flowers.

  He managed to draw a half breath. The pain in his chest turning it into a sharp gasp that made it hurt even more. His shoulder throbbed and he could feel poisoned mana spreading throughout his body.

  His mana scrubbing trick failed to do so much as cleanse a tiny portion of the potent venom and his vision was starting to grow fuzzy.

  ‘No. Nonono.’ He couldn’t stop it. He frantically tried to think of some kind of solution but none came to him. Only the calling of the crystal in the center of the cave.

  ‘Fuck it.’ He didn’t know what it was or even if it could help. But the calling was the only thing keeping his mind focused. Urging himself forward he smashed into the pool of water up to his neck. His flashlight casting shimmers through the water as he pulled himself to the base of the stalagmite.

  Using [body enhancement] he gripped the base of the rock and dragged himself upwards. Hand over hand, using the strength of his skill becoming easier as the rock thinned.

  His fist closed around the crystal and a System alert appeared in his vision.

  [Crystal of Mirror Rebirth.]

  [Absorb?]

  He accepted.

  Theo was floating in nothingness. He couldn’t feel his body, he couldn’t hear, see, smell. Just solid blackness over his awareness. The only thing he could feel was his small pool of mana. Swirling around a gem that mirrored the mana around it.

  Time seemed to stop as something within the crystal shifted. It shattered. Releasing a burst of mana matching his own exactly. In pulsing waves it rushed outwards. Forming channels of twisting mana that slowly took shape of a body.

  Theo shuddered as the world snapped back into reality around them. Floating in a pool of cold water Theo’s body felt off.

  There was no pain in his chest or leg. Theo’s back didn’t sting or itch with each breath.

  But something else was different too.

  Dragging their body to the dry rock next to the pool. Theo pulled themself free as they gasped for air.

  ‘What?’ Theo jumbled mind asked as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Water must have gotten into the flashlight as it was no longer working. But that was the least of their worries.

  Theo reached down to feel the bite on their shoulder but through the hole in the shirt they felt unblemished skin. Further examining their body Theo realized something else was completely different from before.

  ‘Are those… breasts? her mind echoed the thought.

  She reached up to her face. The short unmaintained beard that had grown over the last few days was gone. Her skin softer than before.

  “What the fuck.” Theo spoke out loud. Her voice unfamiliar and significantly more feminine than the rough smoke-damaged voice she had known all her adult life.

  Theo sat there as she felt around her body. The stone had saved her life. But apparently that wasn’t the only thing it had done.

  Theo wasn’t panicking, but she wasn’t calm either.

  ‘You know what. Fuck it. I'm alive. Let’s deal with this later.’ She put the confused thoughts from her mind as she unwrapped the tape around her now thinner arm. She took apart the flashlight trying to blow it dry before screwing it back together.

  “Shit.”

  The flashlight was fried. No amount of hopeful clicking could get it to turn back on and Theo resigned herself to a walk through the dark. Blindly fumbling around she tried to retrieve her spear. Flinching when she came into contact with the spider’s body.

  Using [body enhancement] she noticed that the skill came much more easily than ever before and strength flooded through her as she flipped the spider and fumbled to find her spear.

  Realizing that the core of the spider was probably quite something given its size, she once again blindly groped around inside of it, ignoring the wet squishing until she grasped a hard ball the size of an orange.

  Pulling it free she started the long walk back through the dark cavern. Using the sound of running water as her guide and keeping a free hand on the wall to her left.