I opened my massive maw, gathered mana from my center, and pushed it out in a magical pulse. Circular rings of electric blue energy burst from my mouth and crashed into the cruise ship’s hull. The entire vessel was thrown out of the water. It curved through the air, trailing seawater, slammed back down, bursting apart like popcorn in a microwave.

Hundreds of passengers died in the initial smash, and dozens more were added to their number with every passing minute. I absorbed them all, filling my core with their essence.

The vision faded, and I was back in the room with Kyrine.

“Whoa,” I said. “That was very different from the other visions.”

“How so?” she asked.

“I was murderous. A creature with barely a mind. All I could feel was my hunger for essence.”

“The most powerful creatures are often like that, with the exception of the wisest dragons. To grow in power, a creature has to absorb an incredible quantity of essence. Oftentimes, it becomes too much for a mortal vessel to contain. The mind dies, but the body lives on. Hence why the most powerful cultivators seek out immortality.”

“Then they’ll be searching for a long time,” I said. “Surely immortality is a myth.”

“All myths have a grain of truth at their heart. As a human, you should know this. Was it not little more than a century ago that your world did not believe in magic?”

“You’ve got me there,” I said. It was true. Magic had been the stuff of legend, and most often of scorn, until the portal from Eosor opened.

I sat back in my chair and let out a long, slow breath. “So you’re saying immortality is real?”

“I’m only saying it’s a real possibility. The level of cultivation required is immense.”

Well, at least that will give the transhumanists some hope, I thought. Despite my hopes and dreams, I’d never imagined I would cultivate beyond a basic level. Learning I was a Keeper was an incredible revelation, so perhaps immortality wouldn’t be so farfetched of a goal.

“Let’s not get distracted,” Kyrine said firmy, holding up a hand to stop me as I took a breath to ask more about immortality. “Tell me,” she asked, “now that you have experienced the world through the eyes of three others, what is your answer? Do you prefer to run, fly, or traverse the depths of the ocean?”

Did I really have to choose?

Well, both the Steel-Clawed Wolverine and the Leviathan had made me feel more than a little uncomfortable. I hadn’t killed the hunter during the wolverine vision, but it had definitely been my intention. The Leviathan vision, however, had been total wanton slaughter of innocents.

Was that the dungeon’s intention?

Did it want me to become some kind of homicidal maniac with a thirst for blood?

Had it somehow manipulated the visions to this effect?